A Hustle


Brick was a fumarole, not fuming; smoke literally wafted off his head in wispy tendrils while he tried to summon the power to make his father spontaneously combust from across the courtyard. He barely budged when Butch, drunk off the three goblets each of wine, mead, and ale he'd ingested, slid into the bench beside him and elbowed him repeatedly, slurring in his ear. "Hey, Brick. Hey. Wassup, Bro? Where's yer wife? Why ain't ya dancin' with yer wife?" He'd been emphasizing the word all night. Brick grabbed Butch's chin and forced him to look at what set his blood boiling. "Oh."

Lucifer was dancing with Blossom, and he handled her very well. Too well for Brick's liking; his hands were all over her exposed back and arms. His fucking father was fondling his brand-new wife right in front of him. And she appeared to be enjoying it which gave Brick the notion of making his way through the crowd to stab his sire in the throat. Somebody at this ridiculous reception had to have a blade on them. Any other time he would've bet good money on Buttercup, but she was clearly not harboring any sharp instruments among her scant attire. "That's fucked," Butch commented. "Dad's such a slut."

"So why don't you take her back?" They turned to find a young man, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, sitting opposite the table sipping wine like a seasoned vintner. He had strawberry blond hair, lavender eyes, and somehow managed an expression both challenging and disparaging with a single arched brow.

"Who the fuck are you?" Brick demanded. "Mind your own business."

He smirked around the edge of his glass. "I'm Reid. Blossom is my older sister."

"Oh shit," Butch whispered too loudly, "he's the crown prince o' Floria!" Brick was honestly impressed by how quickly his brother made that deduction in his drunken state.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "The throne is all mine now that you've removed Blossom from succession. Thanks for that." Reid raised his glass to Brick and his smirk grew wider. "What's your problem? You're supposed to be some scary, powerful Demon prince but you're afraid to confront your dad?" Butch sputtered a laugh. Brick was too busy getting riled up to smack him. "So do all Demon princes let their fathers put the moves on their brides, or just ginger pansies?" Brick slammed his palms on the table and stalked off toward Lucifer and Blossom. Reid smiled. "There we go. Only had to insult his masculinity."

Butch grinned. "Anyone who can piss off my brother that fast is a good guy. But what's yer real angle, kiddo?" He could tell the Pixie prince hadn't swung by to get under Brick's skin for shits and giggles.

"You," he answered.

"Me?"

"Yes. I was angling for you." Reid reached into one of his coat pockets and dangled a small mesh bag from his fingertip.

Butch's pupils dilated when he heard the telltale tinkling of gemstones. "Whassat? Lemme see."

"Oh, this? You want this?" He snickered as Butch watched it dance around with the focus of a cat stalking a mouse. "You like shiny rocks, don't you, Demon? People say you're the man to talk to about doing business with these."

Green eyes narrowed, intrigued. "Whatcha want?"

"What I want is for you to get me something from my sister in exchange for three pinches of clean-cut gemstones every five months for the foreseeable future."

"Three… three pinches?" he repeated, dumbfounded.

"Is that too little? How about a full cut?"

They stared at each other for a second before Butch threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Yer fuckin' with me, ain't ya? No one's got that kinda resources! Thirty-one thousand carats… Hah! Yer a funny fucker!" Not even Hael could produce that much in a year with their entire mining operation working around the clock.

Reid waited until his chuckling died down. "I'm serious. You know who has the raw materials to back that number? The Elves."

"Wait, what?" Butch sat upright again. "My wife's an Elf."

"Yes she is," the Pixie spoke in a condescending manner, "and she's probably aware that her people just tapped into an enormous ore deposit deep in the Caldwell Mountains, given that she's the princess and all."

"Huh? I didn't hear 'bout that."

"That's because Fairweather doesn't want anyone to know what they've discovered. It's at the very eastern edge of their territory, bordering Hinterland where the conditions are so harsh even the Elves can barely handle it. There's no way the rest of us would be able to send excavation teams down there and return with anything worthwhile before they kicked us out. But I've got an in, so that's where your payment will come from."

Butch screwed his eyes shut to wrap his head around the conversation. "What do you need me to get from your sister that the Elves are willing to pay out their ass for?"

"An aphrodisiac," the boy said simply.

"…What."

"Female Pixies aren't sexually active until they have mates. Now that my sister's married and going to be flitting around your brother, she'll start shedding the little scales that color our skin." Reid held out his arm for inspection. "See? We're almost the same– you're green, I'm green. Or seafoam if you want to get technical. The scales are called lamina, and Blossom's are special because they have every color of the rainbow. The melanin that determines color… Are you listening?"

Butch had zoned out for a second. "This shit's confusing."

"It's basic Pixie biology." Reid frowned. "Have you ever picked up a textbook on another species?"

"Fuck no."

A sigh. "Okay, whatever. When Blossom goes through her flitting phases, I need you to gather up as much of her lamina as possible and send it to me so I can sell it to people who want to get horny. I'll give you a cut of the profits. Deal?"

Butch considered Reid's open hand. "Why didn't you lead with that?"

"Because people said you needed to know all the details before entering an arrangement!" He rolled his eyes. "Guess I could've waited until after the reception, but it made more sense to talk to you while you're here at the palace." He huffed. "So do we have a deal or not?"

"Dunno, gotta think about it." Butch scratched his chin, not that he had anything to scratch. Demons had very little body hair since they lived in and around volcanoes and it would only get singed off. "How's the market for this lamina stuff?"

"It's exploding," Reid stated, "everybody's after it right now. The Angels want to do studies with it, the Elves want it to boost their population numbers, and the Beastlings… well, you know how they are." Butch hummed. It was a hard fact that Beastkin were sexual deviants, especially Satyrs. "Since you haven't heard of lamina, I'm guessing there's a totally untapped market in Hael. You'll have an unlimited supply as long as Blossom's there." He leaned across the table. "Come on, Butch. You'd be foolish to say no to me."

He hummed again, mulling everything over now that his buzz had worn off and the business part of his brain was functional. "There're a couple issues with this plan." He held up a finger. "One– since you just told me about your entire operation, why would I need you to play middleman? I'm married to the princess of Fairweather. I can get gems directly from them just by asking, not bribing anyone or whatever shady shit you're doing." Reid's eager expression began to fall. "Two—"

"No, no," he interrupted, floundering, "I mean yes, okay, you have easier access to the Elves than me, but… I still have Haven and Fawna! And Floria, obviously."

"Yeah, well, I'm guessing there's not much demand for lamina from the species that produces it." Lavender eyes grew downcast. "I'm not trying to be an ass, kiddo, I'm just stating the facts. And the second factor that throws the biggest wrench into your business venture is Brick."

"Brick…" Reid mumbled, casting him a glance of mild contempt. "Shit."

"Yeah. He's not gonna let anyone get close enough to Blossom to sweep up her lamina or however you gather it."

"You do just sweep it up," the boy explained, "and then use a filter to separate it from dust and stuff."

"Kiddo, you gotta stop giving away your trade secrets." Butch studied the prince who now seemed his actual age. "Don't pout, it's still a decent plan." He thought for a second. "Don't you have a younger sister?"

"Ivy? She's only twelve. Not ready to do any flitting."

"What about your mom?"

Reid scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "She's not healthy, so her lamina's all dull and grey. And I wouldn't move a product from my mother, you weirdo."

Butch laughed. "You got pretty big balls talking to me like this at my wedding reception. Could've been grinding on my hot-ass wife this whole time, but no, I sit and listen to a kid try to sell me on his scheme."

"This party isn't just for you, jerk. My sister got married, too." He tried not to beam with pride. "And… thanks?"

"Tell you what." Reid popped up, all ears. "I will try to get the stuff from Blossom. No guarantees 'cause Brick is unpredictable. Maybe he won't consider me a threat since my wife's hotter… no offense to your sister."

"No, Princess Buttercup is the most attractive thing here," Reid coolly remarked.

Butch let his eyes grow dark and predatory. "Don't talk about my wife like that."

"S-sorry. You were s-saying?"

"God, relax. I'm fucking with you. Practice your game face. Don't let people intimidate you 'cause they're older." Butch offered a lazy grin along with his hand. "If I can get the stuff, I'll split it with you. I'll deal to Hael and Fairweather, and you can have the rest of Erd. That means stay out of my territory, or else."

Reid gave his palm a long look, then lifted his gaze until they met. "Or else what?"

Fangs appeared in the Demon's smile. "I'll take something from you that you really don't want to lose."