Lords & Ladies of the M'Verse: An Ooorah Anthology

Day 4 - krazydiamond's MacGory's Interdimensional Goods and Sundry

MacGory's Interdimensional Goods and Sundry

by krazydiamond

The Scab scratched the back of his hand, off center eyes darting in opposite directions that could either be nerves or a seizure. Nev's brows drew together. The unsavory little fusspot hadn't been round the shop in weeks. Odd enough, considering the man was an addict. Consequently, he was one of Nev's best customers. The Scab was the unsavory piece of refuse one scraped from the bottom of the barrel, but he paid in credits up front and the loss of his business was enough to make Nev wonder what happened to him. He squinted at the Scab who continued to shuffle and scratch.Then he spotted the mole.

"Son of a--" Nev's hand shot out before the snotrag could react, ripping the offending skin tag from the Scab's face. "Toadies, Scabby, really?"

The Scab collapsed in on himself with a wail, holding up his rail thin arms in a defensive manner. "Nooo, naw what ya think Nev, I swears it on me mum's grave."

Nev scowled. "Your mum still lives down in the Dredge, Scabby, I sent her a crate of cigars last week."

The Scab straightened, wiping his nose across the back of his arm with sniff and a trail of snot. "Nasty habits me mum has. I swears I dinna screw ya over Nev, I swears it."

Nev snorted, bending to retrieve his crate of merchandise. It was time for a timely exit now that it was clear this deal was quickly sliding south. "Don't tell me you're drinking their brand of Kool-aid, Scabby. If that's the case, a holy man such as yourself won't be needing these." Not that he would have much trouble moving the product. Vintage smut rags were always in demand somewhere, satisfying a particular brand of nostalgia across every world he could think of. Everybody loves tits.

"Now doon be like that, Nev, I gots the money fer ya and--" he went shifty again, eyeing what Nev knew was a false wall to their left. With a sneer, Nev pushed the comm in his belt buckle, waiting for Stella to pick up the signal.

"Tell me, what did those toad lickers offer you, Scabby?" Whatever cue the Toadies were waiting for, Scabby had clearly failed to elicit it from him. The man hung his head.

"Holo grid space bunnies," Scabby mumbled. Nev raised a brow, feeling a scrap of sympathy for the idiot but there was a tingle in his gut. Stella was seconds from pulling him through.

"Oh Scabby, poor Scabby," he said, his physical form beginning to destabilize. The simpering man glanced up at him, wiping another slime trail along his arm. Nev managed to keep the disgust from his expression. "All you had to do was ask. Could have done a two for one." He was present long enough to see the expression of awe and hope at Nev's words melt to horror as the Scab realized his quarry was phasing out.

"Wait, noooo," the Scab's arms lashed out and passed straight through Nev as the world shimmered out into a gray haze, slowly clearing to reveal the far more pleasant smelling interior of his shop.

"'Bout time," Nev muttered, nudging the book of skin mags aside with his foot as he shook his customary tweed peacoat from his shoulders. The fabric still reeked from the rather odious meeting place the Scab picked and would need a good airing out before he donned it again. The Scab...Nev wanted to throttle the idiot, since only idiots listened to the Toadies. He knew why that lot had stooped low enough to bother bribing someone like the Scab. Nev was an outside operator, a man who could get anything for the right price, and the Church of the Almighty Toad King didn't like anyone cutting into their profits. Now that he was on their radar, he would have to vet his clients more thoroughly than ever. Luckily, he had Stella.