“What'd you say about a flag, lady?” Merrick almost didn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He was hopeful and angry and confused and relieved.
She is the lady from Em’s dream. If I don’t fuck it up, she’s supposed to save us and make us safe.
He started having doubts.
This lady was a stick. No tits, no hips, no fat, maybe 20. Maybe 50. He couldn't tell. She was, best guess, 5’7” and he’d eat his own dirty underwear if she was a pound over 120. Maybe it was drugs? She had short, greasy brown hair that looked like it needed washing. And brushing. And a trim. Her skin was pasty and dry. Her lips were chapped. She had bags under her eyes. Her face was too thin. She looked wrecked. She looked hungrier than they did, and they shared souls with always-hungry animals.
She looked weak.
“I said that you and your kids are a goddamned flag. I would have said to get the fuck out from in front of my store and fuck off into the sunset, if your kids weren’t eyeing the bread I’m throwing away to ducks like they’re waiting for my back to turn so they can eat it. I would have also said that you have a really bad attitude and shouldn’t cuss at your fucking kids if I hadn’t been overruled in making decisions. I am, however, gonna say that you'd make a pretty shit dad.” The lady put a finger under her gaudy necklace; her gaudy necklace that looked like it was trying to strangle her again.
Well, even if a hard wind could knock her over, at least this lady had balls. He could probably grab her whole body in one hand and throw her over her entire building and not even break a sweat. He wouldn’t, but he probably could.
“Weren’t you listening to Em talk? Our parents are dead. I’m just the shitty alternative to a child sex ring. And slavery. And I know I’m not any good at it. That’s why we’re here.”
“I didn’t say you were their dad. I said you’d make a shitty one. You’re fucking ten, of course, you aren’t their godsdamned dad. Miles, I swear to fuck if you don’t fucking knock off the commentary, I’ll fucking solder your legs together.” Merrick was convinced that this lady was crazy.
His hope fled.
Silence. One beat. Then two. Then ten.
The lady slowly took her fingers from under her jewelry, looked at each of his siblings, looked at him, looked at the storefront, looked back at them, and then made up her mind.
“Fuck. Fine. This is fine. It’s all fine." She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Come on, flags. Miles commands, and I obey." More silence. She snorted. "Let’s go."
Before any of them so much as moved, she looked him dead in the eye, pointed her bony, dirty finger at him, and said, "Mind your mouth, pup, and don’t cuss at kids that don’t need anyone to shit on them anymore, or I’ll mind it for you. And I gotta tell you, you’ll be in for a surprise when it happens.” She smiled at him like a little, smug prick.
And then she turned her back on him.
On him.
The fuck?
She shouldn’t be able to do that. She should probably be pissing herself in fear. This lady had a godsdamned death wish.
“Do you got a death wish, lady?” he asked her incredulously. His brows met and sank. His forehead furrowed. He didn’t understand.
Something was wrong with her. The three of them followed her out of the park, across the sidewalk, and toward the street anyway.
She chuckled. A chuckle that turned into a full-on belly laugh. She looked both ways and started crossing the street. She looked back at him and said, “You have no idea, kid. Come on. Back in the store.” She called him toward her, him!, like an errant pup.
He protested: “We can’t go in there. The magic made me want to puke." He took a breath, "Did you do that? Get your husband or dad to do it for you? Protecting their little lady while she slums it in the merchant caste?” What was wrong with his stupid fucking mouth? Why was it running? Why was this idiot shit coming out?
I sound like an Alpha. Fucking kill me.
An unexpected outburst, “Fucks’ sake, Merrick, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Em yelled. “Shut up. I’ve never seen you be such an asshole, and it’s weirding me out. Just stop and let her and her magic necklace, which is fucking beautiful and perfect and absolutely not weird, I might add, just let them help us. Fuck.”
Emma turned bright red in anger.
Thom was white as a sheet. His head, his whole upper body, was tilted toward the ground. Hiding his neck.
Merrick was fucking this up, and he wished that he would stop fucking this up.
“The magic was mean to you, poor little puppy, because the store isn’t open, and you weren’t invited in. I am inviting them in,” she pointed at the kids, “right now. If you want to come in, I’m going to ask for a contract. With him.” She pointed at Thom. “It won’t have to be a long one, and it won’t ask for anything you aren’t willing to give, and it will be one of the things that keeps us all on our best behavior." She looked him in the eye again, "It would have been with you, puppy, but because of your mouth and what comes out of it, I so far have a really low opinion of your intelligence stat." She stammered, "Er, your intelligence.”
“Why him?” He used his chin to point at Thom. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but Em had never once steered them wrong with her dreams. Shit only goes bad when they ignore them. And, he was genuinely curious, why Thom? Why not Em?
“Because he keeps his mouth closed. Even if he yells at strange women minding their own business in a public park. Sorry, Girly Beasty, but them’s the facts. Come on, Flower. Let’s get you guys inside, set up with a contract, and I'll let the big puppy in and we can get some food into all of you.”
“Flower? I’m Flower?” Thomas looked floored. He pointed to himself.
“Of course, you are, Flower. Come on. I have steak. And fresh bread. And if you want anything different, I have a driver that delivers. I'll take special requests for tonight only.” She opened the store door –jingle jingle.
She walked in like there wasn’t a sea of magic waiting, wanting to kill everyone inside.
The trio hovered outside of the store, on the stoop under the fancy green awning that hid them from the afternoon sun.
"She's weird, but we should hear her out about the contract. You said there's magic in her store? Maybe she's a hidden, unregistered mage or something. I think mages are supposed to have more magic than witches? She doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. I'm good with the idea." Thom said softly. He silently mouthed the word 'flower' and the sides of his mouth turned up.
Emma nodded and looked at Merrick like he'd say no. She opened her mouth to say something, to make her case, but he cut her off.
"I don't know why I'm being an asshole. I'm sorry for cussing at you, Emmafly. If your dreams say this is what to do, and Thom is okay with it, I could really go for some food that didn't have mold on it." He grinned at her.
He just had to have faith in his siblings. They were amazing and special and he was a mess. I'm just the muscle. He really wanted the responsibility of choice off his shoulders, too.
"Okay, we'll just hear her out. It'll be okay." Three heads nodded.
"Okay." Three heads nodded again.
The youngest two walked into the store together, united in purpose. Of wanting hot food. And safety, but the lady had said she had steak and they really, really wanted it.
----------------------------------------
Max: Why in all the hells would I let you talk me into this? These children are going to die. We will love them and then they will die. Maybe not today, or next week, but eventually, we will hold them when their last breaths leave their bodies and we will have to live through that.
Miles: Because this is the right thing to do. You saw them out there. They are hungry and tired and lost. You and I are lost, too. We can all be lost together, Max. You and I can shelter these children while they find their way.
Miles: They need us.
Miles: It'll be good for you. It's already good for you. You chewed the big one out and didn't threaten suicide once.
Max: Oh, damn. I was so worried you were going to be a villain. I didn't think I had to worry about you being a hero. Maybe I'm the speciesist?
Max: ...
Max: I guess you have to live through some things once to see why they are a bad idea.
Max: Ugh. Okay, Miles. We can adopt the puppies. They will break our hearts, but at least I'll have you to hold my hand through it.
Miles: You did say during the planning of this you wanted a pet.
Max: I did say that. This wasn't what I meant, but okay. But remember when your heart is broken that I warned you.
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"Okay. So. I'm not big on asking questions. I don't want you guys to ask me many, and absolutely none about who or what I am or where I came from, capisce?" Max walked the two little beasties back toward the back section of her shop. Out of the public view through the front window, but not in any of the private areas. Not out into the greenhouse. She envisioned this to be a break area for the workers. Worker. Whatever.
"What's a capisce?" Girl Beasty asked.
"It means you understand. Don't pepper me with questions." Max pointed them to a tabled area. It was supposed to be for lunch breaks. There were only two chairs. She'd have to get more.
"Questions like, hey, why did you look a little like shit outside(no offense), but you look like a fucking goddess in here?" Girl Beasty's eyes wandered over the shop walls, taking in details.
Max flinched. Hard.
"Yeah, questions like that. Questions are a no-go. But I'll answer that one. We’ll call it a freebie." She pulled up her pant legs and sat down in one of the chairs. "It's called a glamor spell." Max, with a thought, put back on the glamor that she was wearing outside. The one that was designed to keep people from talking to her. She'd have to revisit it, later, because it obviously didn't work that well. She removed the spell.
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"Okay. So, you are a hiding mage. Cool. What's the deal with the shadows in here? They aren't right."
"Oh, those? " Max looked at the nearest, wrong-direction-oriented shadow, and got a warm feeling. Smiled a little bit. "Those are cool. Stop asking questions."
"What's a contract and why do you want one? What's in it for you?" Girl Beasty had no chill.
Well, okay then.
"Let me ask you a question. Your big brother. He's used to being in charge but not calling any shots, yeah? Letting his bulk do all the talking but never really stepping up. Just following the leader, yeah? Did that ever get him into a shitty situation? Or, hey. Your other brother is used to being hunted and ignored, in equal measure. He does his best to hide in plain sight with everyone but you two, yeah? Think that's good for his emotional development? Or maybe, I should ask about you? You're used to being both clever enough to piece shit together, and cute enough to avoid most blow-back when you point shit out, yeah? What happens when the cute wears off and you have to back your shit up with bite? Will your bite be enough?” She gave Girly Beasty a moment to recoil. She did. “See, I can do that, too. Do you want to continue playing the uncomfortable questions game, or should we get to the steaks and the point of tonight?" Max felt that this kiddo would only respond to being talked to like an equal.
But they weren't equals, not really. The kid was a kid and Max was a monster who sometimes wore a hero's face. So, Max fell back on calling people on their bullshit, deflect, deflect, deflect -- much like what the girl did -- and hoped it worked. No more g-words will be spoken in her direction unless it's an explicative, thanks.
"That's fair. Shit, please don't cut me open again like that. It sucks." Girl Beasty's posture deflated. She let out a heavy breath. She went to sit in the only other chair, across from Max.
She looked at the boy.
"Come over here, Flower. That’s your seat. Let's agree on terms and duration." She pointed at the still empty chair that the girl had had her hand on the backrest of, but had yet to sit in.
He scurried over. He sat in it softly and did his best to meet her gaze. His eyes made it up, only midway up her left cheek. Good enough.
"Now, the most important lesson you will get tonight. Making contracts and deals with people who you don't know. You don't know who they are, you don't know how powerful they could be, and you don't know their motivation. I could, potentially, really fuck up your whole life right now. I won't, but you have to take me at my word. What's the first thing you should do?" Max used her best guess at what an "enlightened teacher" would sound like.
"I wouldn't," Flower said, softly. "Normally, I wouldn't. But Emma says I can trust you, so I trust you." His eyes met hers for just a second, but it made her proud of him. They went back to the table and he traced a whirl of the wood with a finger.
"Good. What do you do if you have no other choice? Someone has your Girl Beasty in a cage and says they won't set her free unless you make a deal. What do you do? And you can't say you'd get the puppy. He's indisposed. What do you do?"
"I'd run and hope Emma could get away by herself. She told me that if someone ever used her to get to me, she'd cut off my junk if I took the deal." He said and smiled out of the side of his mouth, fondly looking at his sister.
Damn, these kids have been through the shit.
"Good Beasty. Good Flower. Never, ever take a deal posed like that. Any bad guy worth his salt will always double-cross you and keep you both. Good." Max grinned at both of them, and they preened under the praise.
She said, "Okay. Set the terms. What is going to keep both me and Puppy from arguing, keep Girly Beasty from spitting questions at me, and keep me from taking advantage of all three of you? What do you suggest, Flower?"
Flower -- little, delicate, bird-boned Flower, with his fragile, sad-looking features and soft-looking face-- got an absolutely wicked and evil grin. "Anything?"
"You are the negotiator. Negotiate." Max twirled her hand to hold her palm up. Give me your worst, her gesture said. Her fingers opened and closed over her palm. Bring it.
"Okay."
----------------------------------------
The door of the shop opened—jingle, jingle— and Emma came outside to get him.
"Thom made a deal. You have to abide by it through dinner and any following negotiations. All of it was all his idea, so don't act like the Lady is some evil bitch. It was all Thomas."
"Shit, okay. How bad is it?" He wondered why Em was in such a panic. It made him panic a little, too.
"You'll see. And prepare yourself. Turns out, she was fucking young and hot all along. You can't hit on her now, or you'd look like a shallow asshole."
***
Every time he said something that was remotely asshole-ish, Thomas got to slug him in the arm.
It wouldn't have been so bad, but Merrick was flustered by the earlier assault of magic, the food, the charismatic Lady with a regal bearing (who was very much not a drug whore), the store, the smells of herbs inside… everything. Overwhelmed. His mouth, even when what he was trying to say wasn’t shitty, used a tone that was shitty. Thomas, that evil little shit, kept hitting the exact same spot on the exact same arm. After a few hits, his arm started tingling. After that, it went a little numb.
Emma, when she asked a question or made a pointed comment that she knew would be unwelcome, had to drink a sip of orange juice. Orange juice was her favorite drink until last summer when she got food poisoning but didn't realize it until after she had already drunk half a carton. She never could stand the taste after that. Just the smell sometimes made her gag. She only asked one question, off-handedly, and after her punitive sip, she remained quiet the rest of the night. She also remained a little bit green.
The Lady had to promise to not take advantage of them, to treat them with respect, and to not hurt them. That was it.
She is hot. Fuck. Em's right. I'd look shallow. Curves in the right spaces. Muscle definition in her arms. A fit and curved torso. Just enough tits. Pointy, long —but dainty — ears that peeked through her long, shiny hair. Dimples. The greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Fuck.
Thomas didn't have to agree to anything. The little shit. He also ate up the Lady's attention with a spoon, of which, she was giving him a lot. Friendly, maternal attention had his body angled toward her and let his wit and sass come out.
Thomas didn't get to have normal, kid-adult conversations much anymore with anyone but Merrick, and sometimes Em when she was being bossy. Not since he found his animal, right after Em had her first prophetic dream, and Ma and Pa were later called to the pack headquarters on trumped-up charges and killed. Life had sucked for the two of them a whole hell of a lot longer than it had sucked for him, and he was just realizing how beat down the kids had been. Even before Ma and Pa died. It was probably months and months before that.
They were glowing under the Lady’s attention, and she was just talking and laughing and shooting the shit with them, letting them talk and joke and relax, while they all ate better than the three of them had ever eaten before. The conversation started to wind down, eyes started to droop, and the teasing smiles and belly laughs got slower and slower.
"Okay, everyone. Let's go ahead and get to the next bit of negotiations. It's getting late and if we can't work anything out, I want to give you guys time to go back to your beds. What do you want, what do you think I can do for you, and what are your goals? Puppy, you go ahead and take point on this. Although he's an expert negotiator, Flower is looking a bit tired. Give him a rest." The Lady laid her fork down next to her plate, wiped her mouth off with her napkin, and looked at Merrick in askance.
"Look, Lady," a slam on his shoulder. Fuck. He was gonna be bruised. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm tired, too."
"Okay. Start again."
"I'd like the job you posted. It mentioned room and board plus a wage?"
"Yes."
"How much wage?" He asked, hoped, and prayed. "I'd like to get the kids new clothes, and I'd like to get them into school. Is the room here? Can we see it? Em is a space hog at night, and if the room isn't big enough, we'll have to see if we can find an extra couch or something."
"I'll show you the apartment after we finish negotiating, but before we sign. The wage is... Miles, what's the average wage for the city? Also, kids, please think of a fair wage for the two of you, too. You're going to be stocking and dusting on weekends when you don't have homework. I’ll also need extra hands brewing. That’ll be separate from an allowance."
"Who is... " Emma shut up quickly and gave her glass of orange juice the dirtiest look her face had ever made.
"Who is Miles?" Merrick asked. Fuck it. The rules didn't say he couldn't ask questions. Only Emma. And if Lady can't handle a softball question like that, what kind of fucking maniac was he considering shacking himself and the kids up with?
"Oh? Miles, introduce yourself. If they aren't ballsy enough to meet you now, I don't think later will be better."
A godsdamned spider. Her necklace is a godsdamned, fist-sized spider. It unfurled from under her blouse and walked across the table. Twirled a little bit.
Em looked at Miles like she was seeing magic float down from a heaven and granting her wishes, Thomas jerked his hands to his lap and hid them, turned white, and looked at the table, and then Merrick… Merrick stared at the godsdamned spider like a complete and total imbecile.
What do you do when you meet a golden spider? Do I … do I offer to shake his hand? Leg?
"Yes, I know I should hook you up to a speaker. Maybe tomorrow I'll look into crafting a voice box for you. Yes, I know they can't hear you. Anyway, this is Miles. He's a golem. He's self-aware and a person. Please don't treat him like an object. He bitches about it to me, and I don't want to hear... Yes, I know. Okay."
The Lady sighed.
"Don't be afraid of him and don't think he's not a person. He's happy to meet you all. Yes, they can probably figure out that it was your idea to bring them in. What with your legs around my throat. And he asked for the steak. Fuck, I'm making a speaker and you can talk for yourself. No, I'm not telling them that."
She looked from the impossibility back at the three of them, "He is one of the secrets I'd ask you to keep from everyone not sitting at this table. You are the only people, other than me, who have ever seen him."
"So, the spider is a person?" Damn, he was really dumbing the place up tonight.
"Yes, I do believe I said that.” She redirected the conversation when he got noticeably embarrassed. “Miles says the average pay for the city is around fifteen hundred credits a week. Since I'm giving you room and board, I want to bring that down to a thousand. Kids who do chores get fifty a week. Now, we'll take a tour of the shop and the apartment, and you all can decide if this is a good fit for you. If it is, we can sign an agreement, I'll key you to the wards, and you beasties can get to bed in your new rooms tonight. I can send my driver to get your stuff tomorrow, which would be your first day on the job." She indicated Merrick.
She took a breath and kept going, "I have rules, too. They might seem weird, but there are reasons for them.”
She squared her shoulders, straightened her spine, and laid down some rules.
“I will require that you don't ask too many questions. I have secrets I need to keep. I will ask that you don’t discuss me with anyone I haven’t given you leave to do so with.
”I will ask you to do as I ask, unless you think I'm impugning on your dignity, making you unsafe, or if I'm making you uncomfortable.
“I will ask that you clean up after yourselves. I will ask that you cook for yourselves, and I will have groceries and anything else you write down on a list delivered once, no, twice a week. You won't be expected to cook for me-- you aren't my servants, but my employees.
“I will ask that you do your best in school and in my shop, but I won't let a teacher or customer treat you poorly. In return, I will tutor you, if you want, in alchemy, metal-smithing, small cantrips, and healing spells.
“I will ask to occasionally shift with you. I will give you small magic items and get you your own phones to keep you safe when you're out and about. My driver will take you to and from school.
“On some documentation that you will never see, that only pertains to things you don't know about, you all will be listed as mine. It will mean, amongst other things, that you are members of my household. I will promise that this will not be a detriment to you.
“Lastly, in return for all that I ask, I will promise to keep you as safe as I am able. Miles and I both will.
”Can we live with those terms?"
Holyshitholyshitholyshitholyshit. That's a lot of money. That's more money than the alpha makes at home. Sweet and holy heavens and hells, she's fucking loaded. Oh shit.
Merrick didn’t hear much after the wage was said.
"I'd like to see the greenhouse if I can. Can we shift inside?" Thomas asked--- didn't care about the money. Merrick could tell that his little brother was already looking to make this home.
I bet he's going to nest tonight in one of those trees. I hope this works out. They need this.
Merrick, not interested in shifting yet, was too busy trying not to shit himself. Or cum in his shorts. Or fucking wring his own neck for being a mouthy asshole and almost ruining this for them.
Em still looked sick, but her eyes weren't as tight as they had been for the past week. She was relieved. She had a soft smile. She had questions swimming around in her eyes but wanted to wait for the all-clear to ask them.
"Yeah, follow me. You can shift all you want after the tour is over. Just be careful around the forge and the alchemy bench. I don't want you to hurt yourselves." The Lady smiled. She looked more relaxed than she had been all night. She was beatific in her regard for the kids.
She was nervous around them earlier, too, he realized. Why wasn't she surrounded by people? She was nice and funny and rich and hot.
Where was her pack?
That was probably a question she didn't want asked. He wasn't Emma. He couldn't ask pointed questions and shrug it away under precociousness.
Not my business.
The Lady guided them up some stairs and they tip-toed into the biggest, nicest apartment he had ever seen. One you’d maybe see on television.
Where they were from, the houses were worn and old and mildewy and had repairs the pack a few generations ago inexpertly and slap-dashedly applied. Everything they were used to was a hand-me-down.
He and the kids kinda felt like they would gunk this place up. Them just being here was somehow making it dirtier.
The apartment was obviously brand new with a new wood smell and had never been lived in. The appliances still had the plastic on them. The rooms didn’t have the lingering odors of old tenants or old food. It was way, way too nice.
“This floor would all be yours. I stay onsite, but elsewhere in the shop. You’d all have your own rooms. I have a little bit of furniture up here… I think two rooms have beds so far? We can go shopping tomorrow for the rest. Full kitchen and laundry. Shared bathroom, though, and no master bedroom— they’re all the same size. Sorry.” She looked at Em for some reason and shrugged her shoulder apologetically.
He tried, again, to not shit himself.
Yeah, we’re doing this. I don’t care if it seems too good to be true. Lady hasn’t eaten us or hurt us or threatened us. Seems to want us to be comfortable. I’d have work. The kids could be safe. What can go wrong? A quick thought. I hope she doesn't keep calling me 'puppy,' though.