Under the Darkest Skies

Chapter 5

"So is there anything you can't get at a market?" Looking at all the bags they had brought into their suite, Seth highly doubted it. Most of the bags were small—some of the purchases, like Becky's bracelets, hadn't even needed one, since she put them on right away—but he had seen people buying everything from furniture to an antique unicycle.

Becky shook her head as she pulled on her enchanted hoodie. Within seconds, she was pleasantly warm, her skin buzzing faintly. "Not really, no. Some of it's too big to transport from market to market, maybe," she explained, wrapping her arms around herself and basking in the warmth. "But the vendors who sell larger items or more... difficult to transport items tend to have catalogues or displays, and you can place orders." She shuffled over to Seth and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. "So toasty. Almost as comfortable as you."

"Don't tell me I have to be jealous of a hoodie now," Seth griped, wrapping his arms around her. There was clearly something still on his mind, though, because his fingers twitched at her sides. "So the markets sell... pretty much anything?"

Taking a step back, Becky looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess. Why? Did you have something specific in mind?" Then she paused. I hope Liv and Rhea didn't get to him with all the jewellery talk. "If you want to look for something that you don't want me to know about," she added slowly, "you can talk to Liv or Finn. Whichever one you feel more comfortable with. I think Bartholomew gave you his number too, and he'd answer any questions you have."

"Uh, yeah, no. I'd probably rather ask you." Seth started mumbling. "I just don't want to... you know, imply anything."

Becky had a sense of what he wanted to ask and part of her wanted to make him say it just so he could realize it wasn't a bad thing, but she took pity on him. "If you're asking if there's a supernatural sex trade, the answer is yes. In The Fathoms, it's heavily regulated and there are strict rules about magic use and coercion. It happens outside the markets too, of course, big scale and small scale. It's no different than with humans, really, except for the addition of magic."

Seth's blush looked almost painful. "Not that I was interested or anything. I was just curious—not for me!" He shook his head and lifted his gaze to the ceiling. "I'm just digging a deeper hole, aren't I?"

"I know what you mean, or at least I think I do. You're not interesting in... partaking. You're just curious about if it exists and how it works," Becky supplied. Seth nodded so vigorously she thought his neck was damaged. "I know people who have done it long term and some who did it... to make ends meet, shall we say. It's safer through The Fathoms, but there are people who chafe under all the rules, so...."

"Okay. So. The hoodie." Seth was desperate to change the subject and Becky let him. "It's not competition, right? Because that's not really a fair test. You put it on over a shirt."

Becky rolled her eyes. "I wear hoodies over shirts all the time!" She stepped back and pulled the hoodie over her head, then took off her t-shirt and bra before putting the enchanted top back on. "Is this a better test of its magic, then?"

"I can't argue with the scientific process," Seth chuckled, pulling her close again. "I'd hate for you to get any of that pain cream on your nice new hoodie, though."

"Clothes are washable, remember? And I usually like to wash things before I wear them anyway." She'd never had problems with any clothing she'd bought at a Fathoms market, but she didn't argue the point. If Seth was in a playful mood, she was more than happy to play along and take her mind off Muriel and the weird patches on Seth's magical shield. "But if you don't want my help, that's fine."

"No, no. Of course I do." Seth wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm just worried about your hoodie, that's all. I don't know how to do magical laundry."