After a few weeks since they met, Dawson and Hayden were more than content with the business they were doing with one another. The day after they met in the bar, Hayden messaged Dawson and asked him when he wanted to meet for a deal, and Dawson replied nearly immediately and told him he was able to meet that night. Hayden gave him the location, some random coordinates to an untouched, abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the city. Those were the places he chose for his deals, and he tried not to repeat the places or have a predictable sequence of locations in order to avoid being tracked.
Dawson was able to buy two garbage bags worth of drugs that night for less than two hundred dollars, which was something he had never experienced with any bulk dealers prior to Hayden. Dawson wasn't even finished selling all of the drugs before he made that two hundred back, plus a few hundred more. It was unbelievable to him that Hayden would sell for such a small price.
Around four weeks later, Dawson felt almost guilty for how much he was making, which wasn't a very common feeling for him. He had done only two deals with Hayden, but he was doing better than he'd ever done in the drug scene. He was making unrealistic amounts of money.
One night, he decided to give Hayden a call. He felt like a conversation with him was necessary at that point.
"Hey, Aster. How's it going?" Dawson spoke over the phone as he sat in his small studio apartment.
"Doing good, what's up?" He replied.
"I just wanted to be able to have a discussion with you, but I'd rather not do it over the phone. Can we meet up? Maybe dinner?" Dawson asked the dealer.
"Hmm," Hayden paused, "Should I be worried for my safety?"
Dawson couldn't help but chuckle at his reply, hearing the slight crack in his voice. "No, you shouldn't be worried. I just have some questions, that's all."
Hayden sounded relieved. "Okay, cool," he lightly laughed, "I could go for some sushi right now."
"Lovely. Send me an address and I'll be there." The blonde replied, satisfied with the suggestion of sushi.
"Alright, bye," Hayden replied, then hung up.
The two then met at a small sushi place that didn't get much business. They didn't want to be around many people; they would draw too much attention with their discussion.
Dawson, who still didn't even know Hayden's real name, or the fact that Aster was a code name, didn't waste much time.
"Why do you sell?" He asked, taking a bite.
"Well," Hayden thought to himself, knowing that saying too much could put himself in a vulnerable position, "When I moved here I just... wanted to do something risky and fun."
Dawson raised his eyebrows, nearly stunned. He sold because that was the way to stay alive and make money whilst being a murderer from another state. Hayden only sold because... it was fun?
Dawson held back from reacting too strongly, but he shifted his position slightly and continued, "You sell for extremely cheap prices. That's not normal."
Hayden shrugged, "I have... more money than the average person." He paused, looking straight ahead to the man across the small table, "And honestly, I've heard a lot about you. You're highly respectable in this scene and I give you a much higher discount than I give others."
Dawson was floored, not able to understand much of what he was saying. This was a man that sold drugs for fun and practically made no profit. And now he finds that he gives him discounts? He couldn't tell if he was lucky or if he was being kissed up to... or both.
