THE MOMENT
"Is this enough?" The rainbow-haired teenager smiled at Helen as she dropped a handful of dragonsbreath rose petals on her glass counter. The friction of the air from the short, two-inch drop was enough to create some small sparks from the jagged golden petals. It was more than enough. She only needed one; and, not even for the potion. She meant to include it as an add-on to negotiate with. It was easy to fool her usual clientele by suggesting that an additional magic ingredient would increase the potion's effectiveness. It technically wasn't a lie, but it was often an unnecessary step as her potions worked perfectly. It was easy to include the ingredient in the price but not the finished product. And, this allowed her to perpetually keep her stock of 'the last of it'; whatever reagent she thought the client might bite the hardest on. However, the teenager named Monday seemed to have unreasonably vast resources.
A single dragonsbreath rose could buy an entire small country and Monday's handful of petals was easily two if not three roses worth. Helen was surprised; but, she wasn't going to let herself be discouraged. Her years of actual alchemy on top of cheating customers helped her keep calm when unexpected things happened. She hadn't lost yet; she had the ultimate ace up her sleeve. It was her first thought as soon as she saw the pale teenager; her rainbow hair stood out. But, it was the priciest item she had and she didn't think much of Monday at first. It wasn't that she thought poorly of the girl; she was just another client passing through.
"That'll do," Helen nodded. If nothing else, she still had a chance of coming out ahead from the petals alone. "There is one final ingredient that I'd need; the rarest ingredient of all...," she said. Monday giggled lightly and smirked at her.
"You said that about the dragonsbreath rose petals," she said.
"They may be rare; but, they're still flowers. They grow where the conditions are right. However, unicorn blood is a different matter altogether," Helen placed the small, two-inch glass vial of unicorn blood on the table. The liquid inside was viscous and dark red; it left behind dull golden specs inside the vial as it swirled around. "I have this last little bit left...," Monday giggled as Helen began to upsell her. There was enough condescension in her laugh for Helen to take it personally.
"What's funny?" she asked Monday directly.
"Sorry," Monday grinned; but, she shook her head apologetically. "I'm a merchant and I was just noticing... you really suck at keeping things in stock," she said.
"What?" Helen was a lot of things; a lot of bad things. But, she was a professional when it came to her business. "Do you not understand how rare these ingredients are??" she asked.
"No, I guess not...," Monday shook her head; but, her smile grew broader. "...maybe you need a new supplier?" she asked.
"What are you talking about?" Helen asked. "There's no 'supplier'," she said. If one existed, it would be her. She personally collected the few items she re-used for her scams over the years.
"Really?" Monday looked surprised for a moment. "Then how-," she began a question; but, she interrupted herself with a shake of her head. "Oooooohh, I see," she said.
"So, about this unicorn blood," Helen felt like she'd been spotted and it wasn't a good feeling.
"Right...," Monday gave a deliberate, exaggerated nod and she winked at Helen. "...for the potion," she said. "I have a question though, does it have to be from a dead unicorn like yours?"
Helen suddenly found herself with two options. She could make up an excuse and end the conversation then and there. She didn't know how Monday knew; but, there was no point in denying it. It was finding the dead unicorn when she was younger that started her adventure into the world of alchemy. By now, that vial of blood was the last bit left. But, how did Monday know so much?
The other option was much more appealing. Monday identified herself as a merchant; and, she was still playing along despite the secret being out. Helen's instincts told her Monday wanted something and it took a full quiet moment for her to realize what that was. Monday was obviously there for business; but, not for a potion.
"Would you be able to provide both?" Helen asked.
"And more...," Monday nodded at the pile of dragonsbreath petals. Then, the teen pointed at the red pair of scissors sewn onto the front of her blazer. "I think you'll find Sharp Development is very easy to work with, and quite affordable," she said.
"Okay...," Helen nodded. They were no longer scammer and scammee; they were both professionals discussing business. "...I want to know how affordable. But, before that... how did you find me?" she asked. "You being here can't be a coincidence," she said.
"Oh, not at all," Monday nodded. "We received a complaint about your practices," she said.
"A... complaint?" Helen asked. She was confused because it sounded like they were about to go into business together.
"Well, you have been scamming customers," Monday nodded.
"And... you still want to do business with me?" Monday grinned.
"You've got a lot to learn about Sharp Development," she said. "We don't care what you've done in the past. All that matters is you work with us going forward; at Sharp Development we see every situation as an opportunity."
"Wow...," Helen had to admit she liked the sound of that. It didn't happen often; but, she had occasional bouts of guilt over her chosen profession. Maybe, with the help of Sharp Development, she could choose a different life. "Tell me all about it, I want to join," she said.
"Great," Monday grinned. She placed a red clipboard on the counter in front of Helen. "I just need you to sign your soul over to us."