Private Finished Harmless Fun

”Gonna cost money,” Fenn found himself snarking. After a moment of thought, he shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and brought out the goods again.

Sometimes, he jacked up the prices. Usually happened when the customer was being a real dick. But, Evie was decent, and obviously new to this, and he wasn’t scaring her off of he could help it. “Giving you a cheap deal. Twenty bucks a pop. You want both, or were you thinking of just one?”

Twenty bucks still bought a lot of cup ramen.

Ahhh, haggling. A thing Fenn was used to getting offered in this trade. And, a thing he sometimes wearyed of. He admitted that he hadn’t much of a clue how to do it properly. Something about how the kid just launched right into it, so brazenly and obviously, told him that she probably didn’t know all that much either.

Welp, time to no-sell that nonsense.

“Okay, you thin slice of nutloaf, I’m gonna admit something to you now, something most people folks I sell to don’t know. I… weren’t one of the pushers, where I came from. Not usually. I mostly just grew the stuff, with a friend of mine, and made it into the things that other people in my Court sold.” His antennae twisted shyly as he tugged on his sweater. Playing up the pity factor wouldn’t hurt, he figured. “Working by myself means doing that now. So, um, forgive me is you’re used to doing this with your dealers. I prefer to not.”

Even the things he was supposed to specialize in now, he wasn’t actually all that good at. Funny, that.

He swatted the thought away. The pity wasn’t supposed to be felt on his part. That was just awkward. “So, anyways, look, I’m already giving you this stuff for cheaps. It actually goes above fifty sometimes, depending on how I racket it. That a good comparison? You’re taking it for twenty, kid.”

“Cool moth”. Fenn could work with that. Though, he saw the way she eyed the vial. Unease. A “not ready for” look. For a moment, Fenn hesitated himself. Should he even give her the Spirit Mint? Evie was a little young compared to most of his customers…

Eh. Best not to think about it. Onward with the transaction.

Still wearing his smug half-smile, Fenn handed over two baggies of Spirit Mint. The money was plucked gingerly out of her hand. “Good dealing with you, kid.” And, briefly, he flourished the Honey Candy before putting it back in his pocket. “Don’t worry, this stuff isn’t going nowhere. You ever change your mind and decide you want to take a chance on it, just remember that I’m around.”

From the pocket where some of the sub sandwiches had disappeared into, Fenn pulled out a (slightly sauce’d-up and frosted-over) Nokia. “Before you ask — those smarmy touch-screen thingajigs don’t work for me. Probably has something to do with my icy stuff. You want a phone number for later reference or anything? I know people these days use ‘em more than just agreeing on a place you can find each other again later.”

”Nice doing business with you too,” he said, grinning as he took the hand shake, his skin as unwelcome and frosty as ever. Her expression reeked of something plastic— fake. He let it be. “I reckon we be might doing more in the future.”

All in all, a successful day for him.

He glanced down at her wrist, ears flicking back. Oh right. “You mind giving me my bracelet back? Gonna need it to keep drinking...”

Fenn snapped the bracelet securely around his own wrist again. Truth be told, his left hand had been feeling a little strange without it there. Too light.

“Sure thing,” he replied, slicking back his antennae. “Don’t get too crazy with that stuff now.”

Chuckling, Fenn fluttered back into the sub shop. He had a little cash, and thus, a couple more sandwiches to buy...