Morriell Meadowsweet stepped out the back entrance of the Trixie Pixie into the crisp night air, adjusting the straps of his satchel more securely onto his back. The relief of quitting time was almost intoxicating; he breathed in the cool, sweet air, and exhaled hard, letting the tension from a ten-hour day over a hot stove drain away. The Trixie Pixie was the most popular nightclub in Faewyne Village. It attracted ‌all denizens, male and female, far and wide, from all walks of life. There was anything for anybody inside those walls, as well as out.
“Morri! Just the elf fella I been lookin’ for,'' Angus Peach called boisterously, stumbling and inebriated, out from behind the club’s dumpsters shared with the upscale Unicorn Cafe next door.
“Hey! Peachy! How did you get your ugly mug through the door?”
Peach threw his head back in a hardy laugh. ”You know those little pixies can’t resist my charms.” He grabbed himself like a provocative exclamation point. Fucking werewolves, Morri thought, mildly disgusted, but he could not put the man completely at fault. Lycanthropes were naturally hot blooded creatures, and Angus Peach had been a hump-anything-that-moves scoundrel long before he ever turned furry. He was a frequent flier at the Pixie and one of Morri’s most loyal customers.
“So, Morri, my buddy, my friend... what’s the latest merchandise? Well’s getting a little dry if you hear what I’m saying.”
“Yes, yes, I hear you, my guy,” Morri dismissed as he pulled his pack of cigarettes from the breast pocket of his chef coat, popped two of the slender sticks from their home and into his mouth. “I am waiting on a shipment.” He snapped his fingers at the tip of the cigarettes and they sparked to life as he pulled greedily on one and handed Peach the other.
The men stood in a comfortable silence as they pulled on their cigarettes, allowing the smoke to fill their lungs and shoot straight to their heads. The cigarettes were a special, magically induced brand called Fireweed, that Morri had smuggled from his home world on Faery. It came from the strongest Elven fireweed that was grown deep within the protection of the Darkling Forest. It gave the user, with the magical fortitude to handle it, a light buoyant high and the feeling of true bliss. If magically inclined, it gave the user temporary access to the full potential of their own power. In humans, however, it gave them access to the magic of the fae; the effects were more addictive, and almost always fatal if they were not magically adept enough to withstand the effects. Morri had skyrocketed to the top of pushers in Faewyne because his suppliers had the most tolerable effects on the mortal consumers.
Angus Peach was not like those weak-minded, power addicts, he could quit whenever he wanted. Peach was the life of the party, the alpha of the pack. He was not a man to comprehend the word no. “What d'ya mean waitin’ on a shipment? I know ya always have some put to the side.”
“Not this time, my brother. There was trouble securing my bundle with the last shipment,” Morri said, shifting, suddenly nervous. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder. “I have to be careful.”
“Careful,” Peach snickered.
“The Order-” Morri began in a huff, but thought better of it. He started again, “the group I get my supply from does not fuck around, Peach. Understand? I have got to lie low. If they catch on to the scam, they will rip me inside out. Literally.”
Morri took another long pull on his cigarette, held it, then let the smoke billow out from his nose and mouth. Peach eyed him strangely, trying to see past the mask of mock toughness. There was fear in Morri’s eyes, behind his words. Who hooves had he pissed on to get this scared?
“You in some kind of trouble, Morri?”
Morri averted the question. “Here,” he said as he tapped the cigarette pack against his palm, popping out his last two sticks. He tucked one stick into his breast pocket and handed the other to Peach. “Take the free fireweed. I’m beat, I’m going home. Come see me in a couple of days and I will have something real sweet for you. But for now, fuck off.”
With that, Morri turned his back on...