12. SALES

SALES

C aden had a White Dragon plushie in his right hand and a Black Dragon plushie in his left. The little girl who had requested he hold them up for her to see, put her hands on her hips, and cocked her head to the side. Her face screwed up as if she found something off about the plushies.

“Now… make them kiss!” She demanded.

Caden might have heard Rose let out a strangled laugh that was muffled when she stuck her face into a pile of Bee Shifter hoodies. Like the new Dragon plushies— in all colors, Wally had informed him gaily that morning—Bee Shifter merch was now on display as well. It was selling briskly. But his friendship for a certain Bee Shifter was being sorely tested by her guffawing, and were those tears of laughter in her eyes? Yes, yes, they were. Damn Rose!

“Well, Caden, the customer asked a perfectly reasonable request,” Wally said, his mustache twitching suspiciously, as he appeared at Caden’s side. “Make the White and Black Dragons kiss .”

Caden narrowed his eyes at his boss, but he did touch the Dragons’ snouts together. He pulled them apart almost immediately, blushing for some unknown reason.

“That’s not long enough! Longer!” The little girl pointed at the Dragons authoritatively.

He pushed their fuzzy snouts together once more and held them there. “Long enough?”

She considered this for a few long moments. “Yes, I’ll take them both please!”

Caden sold them to her, or rather, to her mother. He handed the money immediately to Wally.

“We’re almost sold out and it’s not even noon yet!” Wally chortled as he thumbed through fistfuls of twenties.

The shop was packed with people. It was almost as packed as the square. After last night’s presentation in the square, it seemed like people hoped that the White Dragon and Valerius might make an encore performance.It almost looked busier than on the 30th Anniversary. Caden felt a little weird about that. He reminded himself that it wasn’t him they were here to see, but Iolaire, which made him feel slightly better about things.

But regardless, Rose and him were busy constantly bringing things out from the back to sell. Tchotchkes that had gathered thick inches of dust on them were now flying off the shelves as fast as they were placed on the shelves. The truckloads of White and Black Dragon plushies were flowing out the door as fast as they could carry them in. Caden had stopped trying to actually fill the bins with them, and instead had simply handed them out to eager customers. They’d had to impose a limit of one per color per customer after a fight had almost broken out between two families.

Rose was now having the Bee Shifter coffee cups wrenched out of her hands. She looked rather bewildered as a little boy came buzzing up to her and “stung” her.

“I’m a Bee Shifter! Just like you!” he told Rose.

A quirky smile crossed Rose’s face. She dropped down to her haunches and knocked fists with the boy. “We Bee Shifters have to stick together so no stinging.”

“Yeah!” he cried with delight. He then went buzzing off to his mother, making sure she bought him one of every bee-themed item in the shop.

Rose shook her head and laughed. Caden turned his attention back to Wally.

“The cash register is so full that Tilly says she’s almost unable to fit any more money in there.” Caden pointed at his sister who was in Landry’s usual spot on the stool. His sister was expertly running credit cards, making change, and encouraging impulse buys from the counter that held Shifter pens, keychains, stickers and more.

“I need to run to the bank soon and deposit some of our loot. How are you on change?” Wally asked.

“I could use a few more ones and fives,” Caden said as he looked at the money he had.

Wally counted a few out for him. “Just shout when you need more! I’ve already placed another order for additional White Dragon plushies. They’re the favorites now, but Valerius is a close second.”

“Is Illarion third?” Caden asked with a twist of his lips. He still was angry at the fact that the arrogant Green Dragon Shifter had proclaimed Caden as his own.

They both looked over at the bins that contained the other Dragon plushies—in much smaller quantities—and Caden was pleased to see that there were plenty of Green Dragon plushies left.

“Not by the look of it. I think the Red Dragon Queen Mei is always a favorite because she always makes a show of it when she comes here with an entourage,” Wally said. “Esme is quite liked too as she seems like everyone’s cool grandmother. Or what we wish our grandmothers were like. Though I hear that she’s quite the strategist.”

“Really? Good to know,” Caden answered with a bob of his head. “How… How is Landry?”

He hadn’t had a chance to ask earlier since he’d been swept off his feet with work the moment he’d walked in the door. He tidied up piles of sweatshirts that were in danger of falling onto the floor as customers had pulled out ones in their sizes.

Wally tucked the bills in an inner pocket of his overalls. Not even the sight of all that money could make a smile stay on his face as he answered, “Not good, kid. She knows she messed up badly, and that she’s likely to go to jail for some time.”

“What?!” Caden gasped out. When people looked over at him, he quickly lowered his voice, “Jail? For what?”

“For taking part in a terrorist act for one,” Wally said with another sigh. “But she really blames herself for revealing who you really are to Jasper Hawes.”

“She didn’t know what her brothers were going to do! She’s not responsible for them!” Caden cried. “And Jasper would have found out who I was anyways! I’ve got to talk to Valerius!”

Wally made a motion for him to keep it down. “Kid, Valerius is in a trick box. He cannot show leniency here.”

“Why not? Her brothers just set off smoke bombs. We don’t actually know who the fox-faced girl was who put the real bomb down. She was a Shifter, too, I’m sure of it,” Caden reminded Wally.

“The two things can’t be a coincidence, Caden,” Wally told him gently. “You said it yourself that it was clear the smoke bombs were to distract the police from the real one.”

“But what Shifter would work with Humans First?” Caden pointed out.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Wally suggested.

Caden put a hand to his forehead. Landry in jail? Landry convicted of crimes? It was so wrong! Her only real bad acts were loving her brothers more than sense and being prejudiced against Shifters, not in a virulent way like her brothers, but more in an ignorant way. But hell, his father had said many of the same things she had after a bad day at the office. Caden had done the same. They all had. But Landry was going to jail for it.

“She’s not a bad person! She’s a good person,” Caden found himself saying.

Wally looked at him sympathetically, but said in a tone that told Caden he was being na?ve, “Good people, innocent people, go to jail all the time, kid. The real question is what kind of support system she’ll have when she gets out.”

“I’ll be there!”

“And so will I.”

“But how long will that be?” Caden searched Wally’s face for an answer, but it showed one he didn’t like. “Months? Years? Surely, this is a first offense and--”

“Terrorism, kid. You don’t get one free pass at that,” Wally told him.

Caden’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I guess not. This is so insane.”

“It is. I worry I could have done something more, but it is what it is. We all make choices, and Landry’s choices swept her up in a terrible mess.” Wally shook his head in dismay.

“I asked Marban to check things out,” Caden admitted and winced. “I know you don’t like him--”

“More than ‘don’t like’, but that’s actually a good idea. Now that he’s seeking to make himself useful, Marban brings a lot to the table. I’ve got my ears to the ground as well.” Wally pointed to his ears which stuck out on either side of his head like Mickey Mouse’s ears a bit. Caden didn’t say that though. “But I don’t have the contacts he does any longer since I left that life.”

“You should be on Valerius’ Shifter Council, not Marban,” Caden said loyally.

“Oh, I like working from the shadows, kid. Much better to be in the background, and not have to deal with all of the politics and such.” Wally waved a hand through the air.

“Well, then you’ll be my Councillor. You’ll be Chione to my Valerius,” Caden told him. “We’re both in the shadows.”

Wally tapped his chin then smiled and nodded. “All right, kid, you’re on. Now get back to selling plushies! And make them kiss all the people want! I’m sure you don’t really mind the thought!” He then rustled up a Black Dragon balloon hat from somewhere and stuck it on his head. There was a squeaking sound as he got it in place. Then he raised his voice to the crowd, “Now who wants a Black Dragon Balloon Hat? Huh? Huh? Just $5!”

Caden shook his head as he went back to serving customers. It was hours later when he was able to get his head above water. The crowd had thinned a bit in the store, because the Faith was outside dancing again.

His mother had breezily come inside the shop to kiss him, Tilly and Rose before the start of the show. Just like with the little boy who had wanted to be a Bee Shifter, Rose still looked a little stunned any time his mother came up to her and embraced her like she was a second daughter. The color in Rose’s cheeks and the light in her eyes was so good to see. Rose was already invited to come to dinner that night, and stay over in the guest room, even if Caden had to go out.

“We can have a girls’ night in!” His mother had enthused.

Rose had blinked, but nodded. “Y-yeah, sounds great.”

Caden wondered if Rose had ever had a girls’ night. Or if she had, how long ago it had been. When his mother had gone over to see Tilly, Caden had asked Rose if it really was great. “You know if you don’t want to watch rom-coms with my mom and Tilly, you don’t have to.”

Rose had whapped him on the nose with one of the Sphinx Shifter fans rather like he was a bad dog.

“OW!” He rubbed his nose. “What was that for?”

“Your mother is awesome and kind and wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to spend time with her?” Rose glared at him.

“I—I would say no one,” he answered uncertainly, watching the fan to make sure it wasn’t going to come swooping back at him.

“Exactly!” She shook the fan under his injured nose. “You are missing out this evening by having to go flying .”

“I love my mom. She is awesome, but Valerius is… uhm, well, you know, Valerius,” he told her.

She let out a small laugh and a shake of her head. “You’ve got it so bad for him.”

“What? N-no, I don’t! I feel for him… I… he’s…”

“And the way he’s been with you shows me that he feels the same,” Rose said as she fluffed some Horse Shifter beach towels.

“Really?” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Tell me everything you saw!”

Her eyebrows crawled up into her hairline and she let out a snicker. “I think I underestimated how bad you have it!”

Caden groaned, and covered his face with his hands. “We kissed.”

“You don’t say.”

“Don’t downplay this! It was the best kiss that I’ve had! The best kiss I think anyone could have!” He scowled at her.

“I don’t doubt it. It is Valerius, after all, and I doubt he does anything badly,” she admitted, as she straightened some Puma Shifter figurines. She needn’t have bothered as they were all snatched up by a woman who looked like she chewed metal for a living.

“He is so good at kissing. And touching. You know he just grips me just the right way. And he caresses--”

“Enough.” She held up a hand like a stop sign in his face. “I do not need to know the details.”

“But…” He gave her puppy eyes.

She deflated. “I don’t want to think about you in hot and heavy embraces with Valerius. I already have a hard enough time remaining straight-faced around him.”

“You’re inclined to laugh at him?” It was Caden’s turn to be surprised.

“Nervous laughter. Sort of hysterical laughter that wants to bubble up at the worst possible moment. Now, every time I see him, I’ll be picturing him and you naked and cuddling.” She sighed and shook her head.

“But you’re always so cool and collected! You never seem like you’re awed by anybody,” he protested. The handful of Tiger Shifter t-shirts was snatched from his hands by a man with a gaggle of demons following him. Or maybe they were children. It was getting hard to tell.

“That’s an act, Caden. You learn early in the Below that you have to hide what you’re thinking and feeling at all times,” she told him.

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he could often read her emotions from her face.

“Besides, can you imagine if I burst into snickers the moment Mr. Perfect Hair entered the room?”

Caden tapped his chin. “He does have perfect hair. It’s so soft, too, and--”

“Stop!”

“Okay, okay!” He held up his hands as if in surrender.

“In any event, I’m happy for you. What does that mean about the rest of the Dragon Shifters? Are you guys going to make an announcement that you’re mates or something soon? That press conference did go remarkably well,” Rose said as she dusted a shelf.

“Uhm, well, we’ve just kissed so it’s not like… I mean I don’t even know if we’re dating, let alone mates,” he whispered.

Her eyes narrowed. “You think he’s treating you like a fling?”

“What? No! It’s just… we haven’t done more than kiss… how can we be mates?” he asked.

He was asking out loud, but he was looking at Iolaire, but his Dragon Spirit was deeply asleep. Occasionally, Iolaire let out a burbling sound as it snored softly. Its legs would kick, its wings would flutter, and Caden would know Iolaire was dreaming of something.

“I have no idea how mates even exist.” Rose shook her head. “It’s such a weird and terrible idea.”

“Terrible?” His eyes widened.

“You clearly don’t think so. But, then again, you have a mate so I guess that’s a good thing that you don’t find it terrible.”

“Why do you think it’s terrible?” he pressed her.

“Because it means you don’t have any choice.” The two of them helped an elderly couple put together a full retinue of Dragon Shifter plushies for their grandkids, before continuing the conversation. “Think about it this way, once you find your mate, you’re not going to go with anyone else, even if they’re bad to you.”

“I don’t think they are your mate if they’re bad to you,” Caden pointed out. “Mates to me is another word for true love, you know? One person that’s made for you and you for them.”

“You think Valerius is made for you and you for him?” Her eyebrows were lost in her hairline.

“I—I—actually, we’re really compatible!” Seeing her disbelieving look, he protested, “We really are! Where’s he’s strong in all the ruthless Dragon stuff, I’m weak.”

“I’ll say. You’re as ruthless as marshmallow fluff,” Rose chuckled. She sold a Sphinx Shifter Magic 8 ball to a young man who wanted to see the future.

“Yeah, well, there are other qualities I have that he doesn’t.”

“Like not being rude to everyone? Like not wanting to bite the head off of anyone who walks into a room? Like not looking like a storm cloud at every official gathering?” she snickered.

“Exactly! Well, it’s more than that. I think I make him more… approachable,” Caden said. “Like last night with the kids. He would never have done that if I hadn’t been there.”

“No, he wouldn’t. You clearly put him in a better mood, in general. He wants to please you so he doesn’t act like a complete jackass,” she agreed. “But what happens when the spark is gone? Or, at least, muted after years, decades, centuries of being together? Do you think he’ll still try so hard? Or will he just go back to being the old grump he’s always been?”

Caden knew what she meant. People didn’t change. Or if they did, it was usually small and insignificant in the end. Even people who made big changes, if one really looked at their personalities, it was clear that the change had sprung out of something that was exactly the same about their personality. For example, a person who took risks suddenly quitting their high powered job and taking up traveling around the world. That travel was just another way of risk taking.

“You’re assuming that being a grump is his default,” Caden mumbled.

“It isn’t? If so, he’s hiding the real him very well,” she remarked.

There was a teenage boy who was abusing the plushies. He was picking up the Illarion one and punching it then tossing it up in the air by its tail, and laughing with his obnoxious friends when it hit the floor or another customer. While Caden was all for mocking Illarion, he didn’t want the goods damaged.

“Hey, if you play with it, you have to buy it,” Caden told him.

The kid pitched it back into the bin. “I wasn’t fucking playing with it, asshole. I’m not some kid.”

Caden sighed. The kid was trying to act like a big man in front of his friends. He was about to open his mouth to tell them that maybe they’d like to go outside and watch the Faith dancers when Rose was right up in the kid’s face like an avenging demon. Or maybe a Bee Shifter.

“Hey, you don’t talk to him like that. You don’t talk to anyone like that,” Rose said.

The kid looked to his friends—two equally loser teenagers in overlarge pants and baggy t-shirts—and guffawed.

“What are you gonna do about it, bitch?” the kid snarled.

Rose put a finger up under the kid’s nose, and a single bee emerged from beneath the pad of her fingertip. She smiled as the kid went stock still. “I don’t know. But there are so many possibilities.”

The kid gulped. His eyes were fixed on the bee. But soon he went cross-eyed as the bee landed on his right cheek. “Shit, shit, shit! Get it off, get it off!”

His friends suddenly didn’t seem to know him, and were backing away before they turned tail and fled out of the store, leaving the chortler alone with a single bee that was now perched at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, your little posse left you. They know dead meat when they see it,” Rose told the kid.

He swallowed, his Adam's apple looked huge in that stick thin neck.

“Apologize to Rose,” Caden said quietly.

“I—I’m sorry,” the kid wheezed. “I’m allergic to bee stings! I don’t have my Epi Pen and--”

“You’re not allergic,” Rose scoffed.

“I am!”

“No, I can tell,” she said to Caden. “You’re just scared. I’m betting one time a little bee stung you somewhere that the sun don’t shine and it sucked. By the way, there are plenty more where that bee came from.” She opened her right hand and it swarmed with bees.

Caden looked at the kid. “Apologize for real.”

“I am really, really sorry. I shouldn’t have said that stuff. I won’t come back!” the kid cried.

“No, you won’t,” Rose said, and the bee on his face joined the ones on her palm. They all burrowed beneath her skin and disappeared. “Now, get out.”

The kid took off so fast that Caden felt a gush of wind from his passing. He turned back to Rose who was standing cool as a cucumber, folding sweaters again, as if nothing had happened.

“That was amazing,” he told her. “Though we probably shouldn’t do it too often.”

“Don’t want to scare all of Wally’s customers away,” she agreed. “Though it seems that people think Bee Shifters are sort of cool.”

“They do. They think that you’re way cool,” he told her.

“I’ll keep my coolness in check though. I’ll only let it out occasionally.” She grinned. “Hey, we need more White Dragon plushies. It’s your turn to go back and then come out to face the gauntlet.”

“I’m going. I’m going,” he told her and hiked over to the back room, which was really the size of a warehouse. As soon as he walked through the Employees Only door, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Valerius!” And then he blinked. “Uhm, and hey, Marban. You guys are here together?”

The Black Dragon Shifter and the Swarm Shifter were standing before him in the aisle between the shelves of goods. Well, they weren’t exactly standing , they were swaying . And Valerius had an arm around Marban’s shoulders.

“Oh, Caden, I’ve missed you!” Valerius slurred, his cheeks flushed a hot pink.

“And I had to help him see you!” Marban hiccupped. “What are friends for?”

Marban slapped Valerius on the back. Or tried to. He slapped Valerius’ butt, which had Valerius laughing.

“Uhm, yeah, I’m glad to see you, ah, both too,” Caden said. Then after a beat and taking in their flushed faces, swaying bodies, and unnatural closeness, he asked, “Are you drunk?”

Valerius gave him a huge smile. “We are! Isn’t it marvelous?”