Year 706, Old Valendian Calendar
Sky above the Royal city of Rabanastre
The Strahl extended her wings and glided over the wind like a swift. Only a far stretch of Heavy Cruiser Alexander's black tail could be seen from afar now. Ashe leant forwards trying to collect the last glimpses of the cruiser and a friend who she felt like departing forever.
"So, Basch-ojisama really has to go with Larsa-sama?" asked Penelo after sight of Alexander completely disappeared. She still could not believe that they had left Basch and Larsa in the massive airship.
"We've come to a conclusion that there's no other way," Ashe replied in low voice as if her voice was lost after the speech of liberty.
"They're gonna do fine," said Vaan comforting both of them, "and so are we. Now let's make for Rabanastre."
This was the first time Vaan steered an airship without Baltihier's supervision. He recalled what he had been taught. It was a proper landing, therefore having approaching Rabanastre, he grabbed the hand-held microphone and called for the Rabanastre control tower. Hope they're sane enough to work.
"This is, um, YPA-GB 47 'The Strahl' requesting a landing."
To his expectation, an air controller answered and guided them to the landing spot. The Strahl circled about the landing platforms, folded her wing and awkwardly flied down.
That was not the smoothest landing, but it at least worked and the Strahl, and they also, was in one piece when she arrived in the Aerodome. Vaan pressed the button to deploy the airstairs, and they were ready to make their appearance in the Royal city.
Ashe bit her lower lips. Rabanastre was her dear home, but it felt foreign today. She reluctantly stood up and made to the exit door. A few steps ahead of her, Vaan stretched his hand to assist Ashe descend the airstairs.
With Basch accompanying Larsa and Balthier missing in Bahamut, it all fell to Vaan to protect Ashe, and he sensed it. They were friends, and it was duty of friends to help each other. Ashe took his hand with a faint smile. Her hand still had a mild touch on it. They went downstairs.
They had fought together to defend Dalmasca, and they would stand together to rebuilt Dalmasca. Or that was he believed until their feet made it first step outside the Aerodome.
The Westgate familiar blue paved floor welcomed them with a throng of strange faces. It was the largest gathering of people he had seen since the new consul speech. They all dressed in fine clothes and long robes. When they saw the sight of Ashe, they all bowed and curtsied at the same time. Vaan felt his head hot; his heart beating fast. It was quite a scene.
However, what followed was anarchy. Friend or foe, before Vaan could tell, they rushed to Ashe's side and hauled her along. He and Penelo were pushed aside roughly and rudely. Their ears were buzzing by a great throw of 'your highness', 'my lady', and 'your majesty'.
Ashe was no better. She whirled around to find a familiar face in wide eyes just to see Vaan and Penelo was far behind her. She reached her slender hand out to them, and Vaan, too, tried to touch her hand with his. But there was a distance between them. A rift made by people.
So this is how it should be. That moment he realized the things stood between them and dropped his arm. Ashe still gazed at him moon-eyed. She tried harder to extend her reach, but eventually surrendered and gave herself to the flow of people towards the Royal Castle while Vaan turned his back and headed for his house.
Their gap, he could not make through then, now and forever. There was nothing he could do. From that moment on, Vaan started to mumble again stuff like 'I'm gonna be a sky pirate'. Not that he never mentioned them before, but it was different, so different that it dreaded him to come back Rabanastre despite his desperate homesick. The adventures were exciting, thrilling, and far too enough to keep his mind occupied until Penelo insisted to return Rabanastre.
Vaan opened his eyes then closed again. He felt the blue sky of Dalmasca looked down on him. The sky of that day. His mind was vacant. It has been three days and he still could not shake the thought out of his mind.
"Vaan," he heard Kytes called, an indication that he had overslept.
"Coming," Vaan shouted back in rough voice.
It's time to work. Against his expection, he was greeted by his folks – the full crew of Penelo, Migelo, Kytes, Filo and even Larsa.
"Good morning," Larsa greeted him with smiles. He started to act as if this was his home.
"Right timing, Vaan!" said Penelo. Her 'right timing' never seemed right to Vaan. He gazed at all small, round, rolled dough and little, circle, wrapped ones with big belly .They were gathering for making ombis and he had no doubt that Penelo was asking his help. "Lend us a hand," she confirmed his deduction.
Ombi was stuffed dough with meat fillings. It was boiled then served in broth. Making ombi was the perfect time for family to get together. But Vaan's ability in wrapping ombis was so good that he felt embarrassed doing.
"You seem have a fine crew here," he replied. Penelo and Migelo were in charge of rolling the dough; Larsa, Kytes and Filo wrapping (though the latter two seemed more like playing).
"You don't count Filo, do you?" said Kytes.
"Did you cross out Kytes?" said Filo, neatly at the same time.
Both of them were poor wrapper, maybe only better than Vaan. "Don't expect more from me. And I don't wanna take my gauntlet off," Vaan said, especially shortly after putting them on.
Penelo winced at his refusal. Obviously, she did not expect much from his terrible wrapping skill, what she really wanted was a time for he to solve his misunderstanding of Larsa's doing. Thus Vaan need not do anything, just sit here with them was enough, but he seemed unacknowledged of her intention.
"Ah," Larsa cried suddenly, "I forgot to remove my gloves."
That was something everyone but Vaan noticed, but they did not ask as they thought he did deliberately avoid contact with dust and flour.
"Have ever taken them off?" Vaan sat down on the chair next to Larsa and asked. The ombis laying on his left hand side were wrapped nicely and neatly and piqued Vaan's curiosity on how he did everything without taking his gloves off.
"I've been asked not to remove my gloves unless in extreme necessity."
"But your ombis look good," Kytes commented, "can't believe it's your first try!"
"Actually, this is not my first attempt."
"You told me your mother used to make ombis for you," said Penelo rolling the lasts of her dough, "it's amazing to hear that the em... Archadians know how to make ombis."
"Serious?" cried Vaan in surprise, "I mean omibis are common folk's things, but you're..." That was not to mention it was Dalmascan food. He caught a moon-eyed gaze of Migelo. It was hard when Migelo was with them. He did not hope to let Migelo know Larsa's identity, or Migelo would fluster with formalities like 'your majestic', 'my lord' if he were not scared to death.
"Say, you didn't talk much about your mother. How is she?" Vaan changed the subject. Family matter was also something he want to know, especially the late empress of Archadia, she held vital clues.
"She is no more."
"Sorry," Vaan said. No wonder why he did not say much about her.
"'Tis fine. 'Twas long ago."
"Done! I'm boiling them. Just a few minutes to dinner," Penelo had to again change the subject.
"Hope it's edible this time," whispered Kytes after Penelo went to the kitchen.
"Now, now, Penelo's cooking isn't bad," said Migelo.
"I think 'tis good," observed Larsa.
"Reaally?" cried both Kytes and Filo.
"I mean it used to be," said Kytes.
"Yeah, but it's terrible now," added Filos.
"Penelo-san's still an excellent cook to me," Larsa maintained his opinion despite Kytes and Filo's disappointment.
"Oh ho ho, we have another Penelo's cooking fan here," Migelo laughed.
"We all knew that Vaan's a liar," both Kytes and Filo said.
"Hey," Vaan protested.
"I am the only one who does think her cooking is excellent?" Larsa wondered with big eyes.
"For reaaaaaaaal?" screamed both Kytes and Filo.
"What so surprised if he like my cooking?" winced Penelo, overheard their chat. She came back with a big bowl of ombis in Cockatrice broth.
"Then eat more," Kytes eagerly started his breakfast by ladling more ombis into Larsa's dish.
"Thank you," he gladly accepted. Perhaps his passion for Penelo's cooking was genuine.
Someone was knocking at the door. Kytes ran opening it. It was Basch. He rushed towards Larsa right after the moment Kytes let him in.
"My lord," he said and whispered something to his ear.
"Take me to him," Larsa replied, and to Penelo and others he said: "My pardon, I must leave now." No more words and he had gone. He had not even touched his spoon, let alone eating his breakfast.
"I'm so glad that I still have some leftover," said Penelo. She would preserve them for Larsa's dinner. "Everyone, help yourselves to plenty."
"I remember something to do at the Home," Filo excused herself and ran away like a lightning struck right after finishing her bowl. Migelo was full after three bowls, and Penelo one. It downed to Kytes and Vaan. Kytes was on the last of his first bowl, Vaan his second.
"Eat more for you growth." Penelo ladled a big scoop into Kytes's dish. He stared at the giant bowl that Penelo made. The soup level raised to one half of it. Kytes gulped.
"C'mon, Kytes. If you don't want it, I'll eat 'em all," Vaan boasted and he really meant it. He gobbled his dish of ombis then moved to the big bowl. His heroic action reduced the massive number of ombis to only ones in Kytes's bowl, but no merit without work and no decision without... consequence.
"I'll ask Migelo for your leave," said Penelo. She glanced back at Vaan once more, trying to convince herself that it was because of quantity not quality that caused Vaan sick.
Vaan was lying flat on the couch. This position was hoped to assuage his nausea. Penelo brew for him a cup of tea which he drank a little but did not feel any better. He continued to recline until door knocks thrust into his ears.
Who the heck might it be? He would to get up and see who it was if he did not load himself up with the heavy stomach. Whoever he was, he meant no harm, Vaan could tell it because he did not close the door at Penelo's request.
"The door is not closed. Come in," he shouted from the couch. Hope it ain't Larsa, a thought crossed his mind.
It was not Larsa, but a person resembled him. Vaan made out his familiar silhouette especially the black cap. They had conservation, but Vaan did not remember it well. All the food really grossed him out. Things were getting fuzzy.
"Mr. Vaan, Mr. Vaan," a voice called him.
His eyes were heavy; he could keep them open no longer. Everything started to dissolve into darkness until, suddenly, he felt something dull slammed onto his fore head.
"Ooouuuch!" Vaan screamed due to the pain. "Are you crazy?" He jumped up looking dagger at the burglar who hit him. There were two in the room. One was Razj, the other the page of Revenas.
"See? It worked," said Lige.
"Oh..." Razj gasped a trifle surprised.
"What are you two doing here?" Vaan shouted at them. The sudden jumping up worsened his upset stomach; now his irritation was compounded with an ached head.
"Will you drink this first?" Razj offered him a cup of liquid with an odd smell.
"What–"
"Just dink it!" shouted the page boy and shoved the cup into his mouth.
"Gah!"
Choke to death or drink the unknown, assumed poisonous, liquid. Both resulted in the same. However, at that time, Vaan could not think sensibly; his body followed its intuition and swallowed to avoid choking.
"What... did you..." he asked when finally retaining his voice.
"Help yourself," said Razj and offered him a glass of warm water.
He seized the glass and downed it Vaan was uncomfortable at first as the sludgy drink still lingered in his throat. After it completely went down, his stomach felt better. Now he returned to his sane state, he was heated with an urgency to know what happened.
"What're you two doing here?"
"Jeez, is that how you thank someone who has just helped you?" the page barked with his arms crossed.
"Now, Lige, let us finish what we came here for," said Razj. For the first time in his life, Vaan considered Razj as a reasonable being (comparing to the other brat). "Here are your tickets as I've promised."
"How did you know I'm here?" he asked taking the tickets.
"Forgot it, didn't you? You did not appear at the Home as we've appointed thus I asked Kytes."
Vaan swiped his nose. Razj had to come all the way here to hand him the tickets. "Hey, thanks," he said awkwardly.
"You're welcomed," replied Razj.
He got a good pair too, on weekend night, the perfect time for a date and an impeccable compensation. "Wait, what does this mean?" Vaan shoved the ticket to his face pointing at the dancing letters on the third lines.
"Name of the play. Can't you read it?" said Lige tersely, "Dance in the Mist."
"I asked for 'The pirates'," Vaan grunted. He was ready to tan their hides.
"I said that I would give you two tickets," answered Razj calmly.
"Did you hear that? Razj said he would give you two tickets and he did it," Lige fired at him like a charged dog protecting his master.
"Are you kidding me?"
"I believe your partner is going to love it," added Razj.
"If Razj says she is, then she is," followed Lige as he took a mal cookie and bit it.
"Hey, that's Penelo's," Vaan shouted when he realized a box of 'Reverie's Sweets' on the table with a tray of cups and teapot. Floral steam poured out from the spout.
"Your friend had a sophisticated sense of desserts and tea," Razj commented.
Actually, it was not bought by Penelo (it would be fine if it were), but Larsa's gift to Penelo while they were visiting Kassy's shop to give her the bellberries. The cookies were so pretty that Penelo felt ashamed to eat them (therefore they stayed untouched until now).
"My apology for using your kitchen without permission, but..."
"What's so wrong if we have a bit of cookies and tea while brewing you a mithium tea?" Lige cut in, "it took very long to cook it properly and you should be thankful for it."
"There's tea on the table, why don't you just drink it?" he pointed at a half-drank cup.
"Ne'er drink a cold cup of tea. That's my principle. Please don't be furious. I apologize. I shall pay for it," Razj replied even though it was Lige's idea to have them. After brewing the mithium tea, he returned from the kitchen and everything like it was seen now.
"This is what we deserved for walking all the way and helping him."
"It's not the matter of gil," said Vaan and repaid Lige a hit on his fore head. Even if Penelo didn't mind (which was likely), he was too mad at the brat to let this settle.
"You–" Both rolled up their sleeves and were ready for a fight.
"No, no, Lige," Razj held him back, "leave it to me."
"But he, he..." Lige tattled on him to Razj.
Razj would not interfere in if Lige were sure to win. But from his experience with Vaan, he did not want to carry his friend's body home. "Please," he said in a soft voice, "wait for me outside, will you?"
The boy growled at him before leaving unwillingly. Razj sighed after he assured himself no sight of Lige, and to Vaan he explained, "those tickets were the best I could afford. Take it or not. It depends on you. And the cookies and tea, I shall repay them."
He might be right that Penelo would love the play. "Fine. I'll accept them. But the cookies..." Vaan glanced at the box. Though it looked messy, the box missed only two or three cookies. He involuntarily rubbed his stomach.
"I could get you an identical box if you tell me where you've bought it." Razj prayed that it was not a limited version.
He sounded like a master having to pay for his pet's bad behaviors while Vaan was nagging him for more compensation. "Don't mind it," finally he quitted. It was the page boy that maddened him.
"But–"
"Just never mind it."
"Then can you tell where you've bought the cookies and tea. Such heavenly is the scent," he exclaimed as he bended down to smell. "I could try some when I have chance."
"That..." Vaan scraped his head, "I don't know. But if you want, take some." The box was opened and eaten anyway, so Vaan saw it was a compensation for the cookies Razj gave him last time.
"You're sure of it?" he hesitated to take Vaan's offer.
"Sure. Take it."
"Thank you," he grabbed one. It crunched and melted sweetly on his tongue. A spark of mirth shone in his eyes and a beam lit his face. His cheek turned rosy. Vaan could not explain but his gaze was anchored on him.
"This book," suddenly Razj cried and leant forwards to grab a book on the table.
It was the book that Larsa was always carrying. He forgot it when he left in hurry this morning it seemed. Razj rapidly opened it. His finger caressed over beautiful hand writing on the first page of the book. These poetic lines read provocatively:
Patient day and nights waiting for the scene
when the time is nigh that I seize your queen.
However, Vaan's attention was anchored on the ring finger of his left hand. There was a mark like a ring glowing with mystic golden light. When Razj noticed the glow, he pulled back his hand and the light faded.
"I must go now," he excused himself.
"Wait," Vaan called out, "you... know Larsa, don't you?"
"Why don't you ask him?" he replied with a mysterious smile and quickly retreated.
Vaan would love to ask him if he had chance, but from his last experience he did not think that he could see Larsa until maybe next week. Nothing he could do to keep Razj for a question either. Therefore he sat silently and gazed at the tome for a short while. The cover inlaid with a golden crest of Solidor coiled serpents.
He was back to his normal condition now. The tea worked well despite its smell. He sighed and left.
Balthier and Fran were staying in Rabanastre for a while, so he decided to give the two a visit. The tiny cathedral was gazing at him pondering from faraway. 'If it might be fortune that Ashe coincides to be with the two' was his mind. Though Larsa was staying at his place, Vaan rarely met Basch, let alone Ashe. It was hard to feel how they were travelling together in the past.
To his disappointment, Ashe was not with Balthier and Fran, also he came across the sky pirates strolling on the streets of Rabanastre. They seemed not to notice his approaching. At first, Vaan intend to give them a surprise attack, but in the end decided to stalk them to see if Balthier would spot him.
The success in spying them satisfied him greatly. Vaan followed them to the Westgate and to Westersand before he was detected and lured around the sand.
"That's enough, Balthier," Vaan said coming out from his hiding place.
"Oh, that's what I ought to say. Enough of tagging along?" he replied.
"Yeah, I'll go straight. It wasn't coincidence, was it?" While stalking them Vaan noticed that they were making their way to the restricted areas in Westersand. His guts told him that they were after this from the beginning. Their reunion was not a mere coincidence.
"I must admit I didn't anticipate seeing you."
"Don't beat around the bush," he learnt his lesson from the last time. This word-saving sky pirate would not tell him the whole truth without a considerable amount of pressure. "You knew something about these sin... I mean mist stuffs in Westersand."
"Acting leading man," he smirked, "don't tell me you haven't noticed this resembled a dear relic of ours?
"Deifacted Nethicite. Like what the Midlight Shard caused to Nabudis."
"Yea, and the underground palace we found was where the researches were conducted. Quite a mess they left."
"They want to create something to the power of deifacted Nethicite. But why?"
"I think you would care for another question more," said Fran.
"Yea. By that she meant: Who? Who might be capable and wish to seek for such power?"
The possible answer narrowed down greatly. There were not many who knew the rarified crafting of deifacted and manufactured Nethicite...
Her long shadow stretched on the street as Penelo returned from her practice. Just near a week since they officially chose her, and she asked for an early leave. But she could think of no other way, Vaan need special treatment for crapulence and also a change of bandage. The cup of sleepgrass that she brewed in the morning should be enough for him to sleep peacefully until she could come back and take care of him.
"I'm home," she said and opened the door. As she would expect, Vaan did not close it as she told, and against her expectation, Vaan was nowhere to be found, but her gift box of mal cookies was partially eaten and left on the table with a tea pot.
"How come?" she said almost screamed.
While Penelo was flustering and whirling around to find Vaan, a big slam hit the door and panting Larsa ran into the house. He rushed to the dining table and relieved to see the tome was still on it.
"Larsa-sama?"
"I'm back... for..." he gasped and pointed at the tome.
Penelo was about to ask if he saw Vaan, but had a second thought. It was unlikely. She went into Vaan's room. He was not there either. When she came back, Larsa reclaimed his voice and asked her whether anything wrong.
Nothing really wrong, it was just Vaan's typical disappearance. Since Penelo did not see any potential danger in Rabanastre – except the theater secret activity which Larsa had kept an eye for her, she simply wanted to find Vaan to ask about the mess on the table.
"I didn't expect that you loved them so greatly," he remarked about the cookies as Penelo carefully put them back to the box and cleaned the table. "Kassy-san is testing her new recipe and asked me to come and taste. Would you care to join?"
With no better plan, Penelo agreed.
"How was your work?" asked Penelo as they were strolling through East end, "You left in hurry this morning."
"'Twas fruitless," he sighed, "the clue led to nowhere."
Larsa held his book up and fiddled it in deep thought. He was always bringing it along wherever he went since coming Rabanastre. Penelo was curious to know what it wrote about. But she remained silent all the way.
The shop stood out in distance with colorful tiles and flowers. It looked like another world comparing to dark, woody door of the Sandsea. From the transparent windows, the lady of the sweet house welcomed them with a smile.
"Welcome to Reverie's Sweets," her shop assistant greeted and opened the door for them.
"Oh, is this your... friend?" Kassy asked as she perceived Penelo stepped into the shop. She realized she was the girl with Lamont when he brought her some bellberries.
"Her name is Penelo," Larsa introduced, "I believe that you would need as many opinions as possible, thus I asked her to come along."
"Penelo, it is... a pretty name," she said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm Kassy. Now let me hear what you have to say about my new Blama."
A table overlaid with linen was arranged for them. The shop assistance brought one more dish of jiggly white custard and put it on the corner of the diamond-shaped floral cloths on the center. Kassy pour purple bellberries syrup on the Blama and they were ready to be served with a cup of matching-color Plox tea.
"How does it taste?" Kassy leant forwards eagerly.
"Wow, it's so good," Penelo exclaimed. It was creamy and sweet balanced with a tinge of tangy and fruity flavor of the bellberries, perfumed with delicate rose aroma and contrasted with crunchy texture of flakes of roasted zignuts. "I wished I could cook such delights."
"And?" Kassy turned to Larsa nervously.
"The flavor is enhanced, but something was not quite right," Larsa observed. He showed much more meticulousness than ever. "The syrup ought to be sweeter. The tea and the dish compete in the taste."
"Yes, I'm afraid of that, therefore I reduced the sweetness. I couldn't think of any good tea to pair," she flopped on the chair.
"Do you consider wine?"
Then rose again at his suggestion. "Wine?"
"Yes. In Archades, we would pair blanc-mangier with a glass of dessert wine. Fleur d'Orange is a good pair, but if you refer a non-alcoholic drink, what about limoberry tea?"
"Limoberry tea?"
"That's a popular tea in Ordalia," said Penelo finding her voice at last in their conservation.
"Andrion Region makes the best limoberry tea," continued Larsa
"That's worth noting," said Kassy satisfied with his useful suggestion.
They continued on tasting a few more desserts. Each of them received strict criteria from Larsa. It never occurred to Penelo that Larsa was picky at what he ate as he always praised her cooking highly. Penelo had no doubt that she could never reach the same level with Kassy, but Larsa would not lie to her...
"Penelo-san?" Larsa called her mind back. They left the sweet shop. "If you have time, may I ask a flavor of you?" He asked politely.
"Sure. What's it?"
"I'd love to have you accompanied me to one more place."
Her shadows scattered like a pale flower on the paved street. The stars were emptied from the heaven and put into street lights and she was among starry night. It lived up to its name: Northlight. Avangarde Auction House was in the junction of East End and Northlight. It was an old three-story house with a giant chocobo statue in front of it.
They went inside the famous auction house to a spacious hall where the artifacts could be seen one last time before the auction started. Larsa held her hand and they slid through the crowd. He took her to a ring in glass bell and asked if it was to her liking.
"Wow," Penelo gasped, admiring the golden ring. Light was reflected on its mirrored surface creating the fey luster of the ring. It was made of twelve perfectly polished bands intertwined. No gem or jewel, yet it held an elegant beauty that Penelo could not put into words. "It's so beautiful," was all she could utter.
Larsa smiled contentedly at her expression and the ring. As Penelo had been here, she was invited to be with Larsa in the auction. They sat on middle seats of the auction room. All the items up for bid were Archadian artifact from every region and in every style.
In most of the auction, Larsa was just sitting silently and observing other bidders. The ring was next to the last put in the stand for bid. Fil du Destin was the name; a masterpiece of the famous Archadian jeweler Carter Cie Picardy, of whose works Larsa was an avid collector.
He raised his card to join when the bid had risen to 23,500 from its start of 7,000 gil. Penelo sweated. Not that she never saw a luxurious piece of jewelry, in fact Vaan and she had snuck into many manses and seen a lot. But to think she spent 22,700 gil for Larsa's room – the new curtain, daybed and writing table, and considered it to be a remarkable pay while someone could pay that same amount for a finger ring. And someone was sitting next to her.
"26,500 now, would you bid ,27,000. 27,000 now."
The count kept rising, but slowed down a bit after it reached 27,000 gil. There were only two enthusiastic bidders left: Larsa and the gentleman sat far on their left. He glances at his competitor. He was discussing with the lady next to him.
Suddenly Larsa skied the price to 30,000 gils. "Would you bid 30,500," the auctioneer repeated until the last call, and "sold!" Hit the mallet to the hard wooden surface of the stand and followed with a ceremonial applause.
One lot left on today auction. A mysterious objet d'art revealed only in the auction day. They had to wait for the bid to end before claiming the ring. And paid the pretty gils, thought Penelo, secretly glanced at Larsa fingers. He comfortably rested his right hand over his left on his lap. Two rings were on his right hand. On his index finger was a silver ring carved with the Imperial Seal and a monogram, presumably combined from first letters of his name. Contrast to the fine-crafted signet ring, the other ring caught her attention with a tourmaline stone and nothing else.
Penelo was still staring at his hand when the last item was put.
"The last lot is a locket worn by the late empress. It is believed to contain great magickal power. What am I bid for this treasure?" the auctioneer introduced it.
Penelo looked up to find a plain pendant hanging on a stand by a black velvet ribbon. It was hard to imagine an empress would wear such a simple gold and ebony locket.
"Impossible!" Larsa cried, "this locket..."
The bid started at 12,000 gils and rose by thousands. It went smoothly for a while until Larsa recovered from his shock. He held his card skywards and bid. "3 millions," he said the number that the locket realized.