[Gift] Treasure Hunting

Beau didn’t think much of it when outsiders first started to wander into Sandfall. They’d leave sooner or later anyways — and he can only hope that it’ll be sooner rather than later.

He doesn’t understand why the tribe leader decided to let a couple of the outsiders stay at their tribe and he’s not shy in expressing this. It’s only for a couple of days, he says ; but those couple of days have been nothing short of annoying with how… incompetent one of the outsiders is.

That’s none of his problem, though. If these outsiders can’t take care of themselves, that’s on them. 

What is his problem though, are the kids in the tribe.

Beau is not a caretaker. Hell, he can’t stand kids half of the time. But when the children run up to him — specifically him — with bright sparkling, pleading eyes begging to be taken out into the desert to search for treasure… Even Beau struggles to say no to that.

So, here he is. Sitting on top of a rather tall boulder, keeping an eye out for any possible signs of dangers with a spear in hand while the kids dig through the endless sand with their shovels. They’ve ventured out a little farther than expected, but Beau determines that the area is still relatively safe.

He can’t help but curse the outsiders that decided to put into the kids’ head talks of a treasure map and hidden treasures, though. He doesn’t think that anything would come out of this. Hell, he’s pretty sure nothing will come out of this. He’s been out here more than enough times to know that there’s no such thing as hidden treasures. If you’re lucky, you’d find a couple of relics, maybe. But treasures are a far reach.

“Beau! Beau!!”

Beau blinks when he hears his name being called. He looks down, only to see the five children he’s currently babysitting gathering at the bottom of the boulder. One of them seems to be holding something in his hand, which immediately sparks his concern.

The children backs off when he waves his hand signaling for them to make space. He leaps down immediately as soon as he makes sure they’re a good distance away, the kids closing their eyes momentarily to avoid getting sand into their eyes.

Beau’s gaze lands on the box in the child’s arms, his spear held close to him as he raises a brow. “What’s that?”

The child seems to beam at his question. As if they’ve rehearsed this, all five speak at the same time: “A treasure!”

He narrows his eyes at that. A treasure? In the middle of the desert?

…It’s highly suspicious.

“How nice!” Still, he beams at the children to reflect their enthusiasm ; not wanting to ruin their mood so soon. “But just to make sure it’s not fake… Let me check it for you, okay? I promise I won’t steal it.” 

The children look at each other for a while, seemingly to be communicating in silence before coming to a united decision. The leader of the children holds up the box towards Beau, who smiles and pat his head in appreciation.

…Is it just him or are they looking at him expectantly?

It feels a little weird to be feeling a little pressured by a bunch of kids, but he supposes that they can’t help but be excited. After all, they came out in search of a treasure and they ended up finding one. Beau can only hope that it’s not a trap set up by someone… 

Very carefully, he opens up the lid to the box. He half-expected to be jumped by a critter, or even a beast, which explains the reason as to why he’s leaning away a little bit — but to his surprise, all he sees inside is… a bunch of snacks. Candies, dried fruits wrapped in bags, a couple of small toys… 

It’s like a treasure chest meant for kids.

Inside the box, Beau sees a letter. There’s no hesitation in his movement as he picks it up, thumb pushing between the gap to push it open and read its contents, which says:

‘Esteemed treasure hunters,

Congratulations! You’ve found the treasure! Your journey here must have been difficult, and all those digging too… But worry not — your efforts have paid off! These treasures are for you to take. You’ve proven yourself worthy and earned this reward. Now, enjoy!

— From, The Red Doe.’

Beau blinks, then squints.

Is this for real?

“Beau…?” A little girl’s voice calls out. He feels small hands grabbing at his outfit, giving it a little tug to catch his attention. He looks down at her to see the worry in her eyes. Then, he glances around him to see the other kids staring as well, some even growing a little agitated at how long he’s taking with his little ‘inspection’ of their loot. 

He lets out a sigh, then hands the treasure chest right back at them. “Seems real, alright. Nothing wrong here.”

Beau can’t say he doesn’t find the way the children’s faces light up at his words endearing ; a little chuckle slipping past his lips as he watches them cheering and laughing amongst themselves. He glances up at the sky to see how far the day has gone by before turning his attention back at the children, who seem preoccupied with their treasures.

As much as he hates interrupting them, staying out here for long doesn’t seem like a good idea. The desert can be rather dangerous after all, especially at night, and he’s only one person with five kids under his watch.

“Alright, kids.” He claps his hands once, twice to catch their attention. A few of them pout at the interruption, which has him chuckling.  “It’s getting late, so we’ll have to head back. You can keep inspecting your treasure when we’re back home, alright?”

They look at each other again, their excitement vibrating in the air before they nod. “Okay!’