Into the World of Twisted Wonderland Pt 2

✨Side Story 53: Jackpot!✨

Sigh...there's nothing here Ruggie mentally sighs as he walks around campus. Money hasn't been coming in like he expected. Sure the minuscule jobs come in, chopping vegetables, sweeping around the store, doing small deliveries, but sometimes their taken by either the other ghosts or Angel, which he didn't really have a problem with since they have a relationship, seeing if Angel's plate was full, he would be happy to take over, for a small fee from either Angel or the person who asked him of it, but it wasn't enough. "What can I do....?" He mumbles as he walks through the hallway. He had to find a quick buck fast.

"Hey, were you able to get it?" He heard a voice say, following it to spot a few students gathered up a few feet in front of him.

"No," a Scarabia student sadly says. "Apparently, there wasn't any more in stock."

"It's only some pens," a Diasomnia student scoffs. "She uses plenty of them, so there should be plenty in stock."

"Yeah, but you know how the fan club like to horde things," an Ignihyde student sighs. "It's hard to buy things off them because they try to horde them for their shrine."

The students shiver at it but sigh as well. "I mean, we're not any better," the Diasomnia student adds. "Buying things that Angel used is a bit wrong, but...it's the feeling that counts, right?"

The other students looked at him and gave a slight nod, at least agreeing with him. Ruggie overheard the conversation, a smirk appearing on his face. Jackpot! He casually heads over to the students, careful not to let to let his true emotion show while pulling out a pen that Angel let him 'borrow' before, telling him that it was almost out of ink and was happy to get rid of it for a while. Of course, Ruggie happily took the pen, at least happy that it wasn't instantly going in the trash. He casually played with the pen as he passed by the group of students. He heavily sighs. "Man, this sucks," he sadly says as he heads over to a trashcan, which was conveniently placed a few feet from the group. "Angel let me have this pen after she used it, but it's almost out of ink," he says, quickly glancing at the students, seeing that their attention was on the pen in his hand. "Shame I have to throw it out for her," he says as he stops in front of the trashcan. "Oh well, can't really argue with that. It's not like anyone wants a worn-out pen anyway. Guess when it's time, it's time."

The students watched him dangle the pen in the air above the trashcan, thinking about the prospect. And in 3...2...1... "W-wait a minute, Ruggie!" A Scarabia student nervously calls out. Got 'em! "Um..." he hesitates. "I-I can take that off your hands."

"Oh really?" Ruggie says with a hopeful expression. "It's just that a friend gave it to me, and I don't really want to just get rid of it without it being appreciated for the value its worth, ya know."

The student widened their eyes at the statement, thinking for a moment. "If that's the case, I can buy it off you."

"You will?" Ruggie says in fake surprise, then smiles. "Gee, thanks! How about...ten thaumarks?"

The student looked at him in shock, then thought about it. Technically, ten thaumarks for a pen wasn't crazy, especially if it was used by the fan club standards. There were people who decided to charge Vil's stuff for at least ten times that, maybe even more. This was basically pocket change, at least cheaper. "...Okay," he says as a smile appear on Ruggie's face as he pulls out his wallet and hands him the crisp ten thaumark bill.

"Why it's always a pleasure to help those in need!" Ruggie says as he happily takes the thaumark and exchange it for the pen. "I hope you enjoy your purchase!" He says with a smile and the student only nods meekly at the smile. Then, an idea hit him. "Say, if you guys want, I can sell you some stuff I can get before the fan club gets it." The words perked the three's attention. "I mean, me and Angel are like that," he emphasizes with his fingered crossed, "so more than likely, I can get you things fresh from the source itself."