Zaban City was a massive mixture of old, young, dangerous, poor, and wealthy individuals all looking to earn quick, hard cash. I liked this place. After all, Samil was a watered-down version of Zaban City. This place kind of reminded me of home.
It was places like these where I knew my father did business which he and my mother would try to hide, but my brother, sister, and I knew. We knew why we were well off.
"As navigators our job is to identify worthy applicants and guide them to the exam site", the son said. He looked down at his hands. "In other words, it would be extremely difficult for someone to reach the site without a navigator".
Difficult, but not impossible. I had to admit that I wasn't sure I could have made it to the exam site without this group and the navigator.
"Hey, wanna try one", a man with a turban said as he waved a kebob of some sort in front of Gon, "It's Zaban's famous panda-frog on a stick! A true delicacy!"
I pulled Gon away from the man. "Panda-frogs taste great Gon, but we have to make it to the exam site. That's more important. Besides, we ate at the navigator's house, remember?"
I remembered. That had been a super awkward brunch given that I had tried to blatantly kill the wife for the sole reason that her pelt would have fetched a nice price at any market.
The 15-year-old pouted childishly, "But..." I shook my head and walked faster. Gon reminded me of my younger brother. Their attitudes and antics were eerily similar.
We stopped in front of a tall building covered with windows. "Damn", I said, "There are a ton of windows". I turned to Leorio, "Now that is flaunting wealth".
"I believe…" the Navigator said, "This is the building".
"Ahh, it's so tall!" Gon exclaimed.
I had to crane my neck to look up. Yes, yes it was tall. With many windows too.
"So this is what draws", Leorio began-"Hunter applicants from around the world", Kurapika finished.
Leorio turned to Kurapika, "Stop interrupting me!"
I smirked at Kurapika, who I was still irritated with and jibed,"Yeah. Stop being so rude". Kurapika seemed to have a stupid, personal honor code or something.
Kurapika turned to me, closed his eyes, and glared.
"Why must you be argumentative?" Kurapika asked.
I stared. "Because you irritate me. And you were rude to Leorio first". I glanced at his hair. "And I don't like your hair. I find everything about you offensive."
Kurapika looked up at the sky in an attempt to calm himself.
Leorio threw me a cheeky smile. "Glad to have you on my side Avi", he said while throwing me a smirk that I know girls have fallen for. I gave him what I thought was a seductive smile. "Well I am a slave of logic and reason", I said and I walked closer to Leorio and touched his arm,"And it helps that the one in the right here is an attractive man." Leorio still kept that smile on his face. He was used to girls doing this.
"Hey guys", the navigator shouted, making me take a step away from Leorio, "Over here!" All of us turned and stared.
"What?" "But the building's tall?" "There!?"
In varying states of confusion, we stumbled over to the old, dilapidated restaurant.
Okay…too tiny of a location to have an exam, I was suspicious. I whirled around and grabbed the navigator's arm. "This place is too small for the Hunter Exam", I angrily started, "Are you a navigator? If so, do your job! Take us to the right place-now!"
My hand was smacked off the navigator's and I looked at the face of the person who moved in. Kurapika.
His tan eyes were filled with loathing, irritation, and a bit of self-satisfaction (he really disliked me). I grimaced at him. "Keep your hands to yourself!" I snapped at him. My switchblade was at his throat in an instant. Kurapika did nothing but stare at me.
"Avi..." Gon said in a worried voice, "Please don't. There's no need to do this!"
"Think Avi", Kurapika calmly said, a trace of triumph and mockery in those tawny eyes. One day, I was going to break that calmness. Just because Kurapika was everything that I wasn't: strong, powerful, calm, cool, collected, and intelligent. It irked me to no end.
"No one would expect the Hunter Exam with its millions of candidates to be located here, right?" asked the son.
"That's sweet", I sourly replied while glaring at Kurapika, who still stood serenely with my switchblade pressed to his throat, "But how can so many 'millions' fit into ONE tiny restaurant?"
The navigator smiled and walked inside. "Hey", I shouted, "I was talking to you!"
"I think he's done with you", Kurapika said with an edge to his voice,"now can you please take a step back?"
"Yeah", Leorio snickered, "another centimeter and I'd think you are about to make out." I huffed and followed the son inside.
There was an underground level. That was how millions, thousands, whatever, could fit into this ramshackle restaurant.
And I was stuck in the elevator taking me, along with the other three, to the exam site.
"Gon what do you want? What kind of Hunter do you want to be?" Leorio and Kurapika shouted at Gon, ignoring me entirely.
I rolled my eyes as I listened to all three babble about their future aspirations. This argument had confirmed my suspicions that Leorio was only book smart but not clever while Kurapika was clever, but his morals blinded him to what he could accomplish. And Gon was a simply kid from a rural area. The city people would eat him alive because he was so naïve. But Gon could learn quickly.
Luckily, the elevator had reached its destination. "Finally", I said as I hopped of the chair, "You two morons were arguing for the longest time". I stood up and stretched.
Kurapika crossed his arms, "You are beginning to bother me", he stated as we exited the elevator.
"Strange atmosphere down here", Leorio said as he shifted he briefcase to a more comfortable position.
"They clearly differ from the Hunter applicants we saw at the port and in the city. Each is a master, in his or her own right", Kurapika supplied.
Meanwhile I was scanning the large crowd. Well, it was time to disappear and ditch this group of annoying twats.
I turned to leave when I saw Gon raise a hand to the group of applicants and shout, "Excuse me?"
I looked away. Why must I be lumped together with people like them again? I mean I was most familiar with them, but that doesn't mean we will be friends during the exam. Besides, this was the Hunter Exam. When it comes down to it, none of us are friends, but competitors.
"Everyone's really tense", Gon sadly mentioned.
I turned to him and put a comforting hand on the fifteen-year old's shoulder. "That's because you're competition. Who wants to make friends with the person they're going to try and ruin?"
Gon looked up at me. "The Hunter Exam is supposed to be fun. Why can't people work together rather than try to ruin each other Avi?"
I flinched backwards from the silliness of his comment. "Why?" I snapped, "Because people will always betray you in the end. That's why." With that I turned around. "It was nice knowing you travel buddies", I calmly said to Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon.
Kurapika shook his head at my behavior and Leorio said, "Gon's right. It would be better if we stayed together."
I smiled at him and responded, "I work better alone. See you at the first phase".
Kurapika smiled at me for the first time as I turned around and left.