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The Charity Benefit (3) - Now is as good of a time as any to examine one of the many tables displaying items for the auction. The table is full of donations, both new and old, and something catches your eye. It’s only when you get closer to the item that you have some sort of fierce, emotional response. It might be nostalgia or happiness, or sadness, or fear, or anger--any emotion is possible. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to feel this way; the item can be any that you choose. Though the emotion doesn’t linger for long, there’s no clear reason as to why it inspired such feelings. Is the item worth bidding on? Or running away from?
Having resigned herself to possibly being stared at all night, Daisy made up her mind to ignore it a best she could and to enjoy the rest of her evening. To that end, she decided to peruse the things that would be up for auction. She was certain to see something interesting even if she didn’t end up placing any bids. This was all in fun, after all. And to help raise money for worthy projects.
Yeah, yeah, she thought, lips twisting into a faintly amused smirk. Most people here cared about being seen and acquiring something potentially valuable.
As she neared the table, she admired the items placed upon it. Plenty of these pretty little trinkets were sure to fetch good prices if she was any judge. Still nothing really jumped out at her… Wait. Pausing, Daisy felt her eyes drawn to an old looking double necklace made of flat, mother-of-pearl beads. Moving slowly, she drew closer to the item. And when she was near enough to touch it, she felt an almost overwhelming sense of loss, almost as if a part of her soul had been ripped away in a mere heartbeat. Gasping a little as she felt the blood drain from her face, Daisy took a step back and tried to pull the shreds of her composure back together.
Taking several deep breaths and snagging a small glass of ice cold water from a passing server, she sipped at the drink and did her best to cover just how shaken she was. Then, once she thought she could move without her knees buckling, she walked back toward the necklace to examine it closely. This time, there was no rush of emotion. No metaphorical punch to her gut. And, as she examined the necklace closely, she couldn’t imagine why the thing had elicited such a visceral response. It wasn’t magical as far as she could tell. It didn’t feel the way all the books and TV shows claimed that a haunted item was supposed to feel. No one else seemed to have been affected.
It was nothing more or less than an old bit of jewelry that someone had probably dug out of Granny’s closet.
So why had she been mentally knocked a** over tit by the stupid thing? It simply made no sense.
Once she was certain that the thing wasn’t actually inimical, Daisy stood up straight and finished her water. She’d had an honest and somewhat disturbing emotional reaction to the thing. So what did that mean when all was said and done? Was it something that she was meant to have? Or was it a cleverly laid trap for a senshi and, lucky her, she’d simply been the only one to stumble on it? How was she supposed to know what to do?
After another moment’s hard thinking, Daisy did the only thing she felt she could do. She accepted a bidding paddle and resolved to try and win the stupid thing. Worst that could happen was it’d eat her soul in her sleep. And even she knew that was highly unlikely. If nothing else, she might end up with a cool new accessory.
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