Page 4 of Elixir of Strife
“Oh, come on. Big deal.” I scoffed as I folded and hung them on the opening of my shirt. “It’s all part of my look. Bad boy with a good heart.”
“Hah! That’s funny, tell another one. It’s better when people can see your eyes, makes you more trustworthy. And it’s only polite. Trust me, I’ve got this down to a science. I’m incredibly charming.”
“Why don’t you just admit that you want a look at these beautiful peepers?” I shoved him playfully on the shoulder, chuckling as he teetered off balance. “Same way you were admiring all of that beautiful beefcake earlier.”
He glowered, face scrunched up, a kind of dour, pouting expression that I would love to kiss away. “One of these days, Maximilian, that cockiness is going to get you into trouble.”
“Oh, please.” I ran my fingers through my hair, pushing it up and back toward the crown of my head. “The only place my cockiness has gotten me is straight into your pants.”
Even without looking directly I could see that Leon had gone tomato red. Furious and embarrassed. Fucking adorable. More importantly, I’d gotten the last laugh. Victory.
Succulence was the name given to this mecca of potted plant life, this thing of air and beauty. A box made of glass and bare wood, plenty of open space, the planters and pots lovingly arranged in neat rows. A minimalist’s wet dream, really, a cubical terrarium filled with lush leaves and sunlight. Everything smelled fresh, and green, and vibrant.
A few shoppers and staffers stood among the aisles, perusing the assortment, but none stood out as much as the Jade Spider herself. She could blend in among the wares if she chose, dressed in a sleek olive pantsuit, her glossy black hair falling to her waist.
Oh, and she was wearing a colossal pair of sunglasses. Indoors, no less. I already knew that Leon wouldn’t say a word against it, might even compliment her look. The dark, bulbous lenses gave the Jade Spider the appearance of a praying mantis, waiting and hiding among the foliage for her victims.
Leon, most of all, who buzzed excitedly in my ear as he pushed through the door and made a beeline for Vera. He gave her a hug, because of course he did, slickly bypassing the aura of power and excess that the Jade Spider wore about herself like a cloud of perfume. His candor took her by surprise, but she laughed as she patted him on the back, amused, if not impressed.
“What a sweet boy you are, Leon.” She reached for his hair, stroked a lock away from his brow. “Now, just you watch. Grumpy old Maximus here won’t even greet poor old Auntie Vera with a smile.”
Maximus? That was a new one. I rolled my eyes as I laid a kiss against her cheek, grumbling something predictable and indistinct. She smelled like pressed powder and blush, a familiar, glamorous scent of clean cosmetics. For some reason it reminded me of my own mother.
Leon rubbed his hands together. “Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us, Vera.”
She quirked her eyebrow, a twist of a smile on her lips. We couldn’t see her eyes, of course, and damn Leon for being right all the time. That only made me even more suspicious.
Two unusual details here, actually. One, we hardly ever saw the Jade Spider in the daytime. Vera Loong struck me as the type of woman who felt most at home in hotel lounges and smoky bars, back when smoking in bars was still a thing, of course.
And two, actually having Vera present to mediate between finders and clients was unheard of. The spiders all had different ways of conducting their business, but they were intermediaries, first and foremost. I had to imagine that it was much more efficient to have finders contact clients themselves. There had to be a catch.
“So kind of you to be on time,” Vera said, her hands clasped in delight. “I’ve been dying to introduce you to our client. Or rather, clients. Daniel, darling?”
I hadn’t noticed the man fussing with one of the bigger plants, a little spray bottle in his hand, a mister with a mister. Only one mister, which immediately had me questioning Vera’s statement. Didn’t she say clients?
The man’s blond hair fell in a soft fringe across his forehead, framing an angular face that I’d almost describe as sweet if his features didn’t seem so edgy and sharp. The blocky black glasses he wore matched the severe lines of his clothing. All black, of course. Very practical, very chic.
“Pleasure to meet you,” he said, shaking Leon’s hand, and then mine. His grip was firm, but his hand was as soft as his voice. I should have noticed him earlier because of the dark outfit, but something about his demeanor helped him fade into the background, a sort of quiet, nervous energy.
I could say the same for the entire shop, really. I drove by this area fairly often, but I’d never noticed Succulence before, almost like it had sprouted overnight. I tried not to let any of my suspicion show on my face. Better to let the client speak and fill in the details. More efficient.
“Very new place, Succulence,” Vera said, touching my arm. “Very modern. But the shop, I should say, has all the makings of becoming an overnight success.”
Daniel set his mister down and smiled. “Very kind of you, Vera. Business has been brisk, yes. Our plants are imbued with a very small amount of arcane energy, designed to deliver a dose of calm to any room. A small way to improve quality of life, you know?”
Vera and Leon muttered approvingly, glancing around the shop at all the plants. I did the same, though I couldn’t say that I felt any more serene than when I’d first walked into Succulence. Good to know we were dealing with a magical client, though. That was always important to establish upfront.
Maybe the plants worked better in small spaces, diffusing their peacemaking vibes after being properly displayed and watered. Not unusual for enchanted items, really, how anything from a wand to a magical ring might become more synchronized with its owner the longer it stayed in touch.
“But we didn’t bring you here to brag about my shop’s soft launch,” Daniel continued. “If you’ll please follow me, I’d like to introduce you to my partner.”
Leon tagged along enthusiastically as Daniel led the way to the shop’s back rooms. I walked slower, lingering so I could grill Vera for a quick minute.
“So, just to make sure. This isn’t another Quartz Spider situation, is it? You’re not withholding useful information that could get me and Leon into all sorts of trouble?”
Vera held a hand to her chest and gasped. “How could you ask me such a thing? I told you already. You don’t have to worry about that sort of business any longer.” She glanced to either side, then leaned closer. “But between you and me, I’m very curious about this partner. Let’s just say they aren’t someone you might typically meet about town.”
Daniel stopped short of the door, one hand on the knob as he scanned the shop, looking to either side. What was he hiding back there, explosives? He opened the door a crack and nodded, ushering us in. No strange smells or sights, really, apart from the fact that the back room resembled more of a laboratory than a storage area.
