Another stop, respite for all [DONE]

The element of the unexpected was scarce, and he knew it, and every other time that he had pulled into this marketplace, he'd experienced everything that came from being a breech in the norm. What did he care? He'd be out of the locals' hair in a week or so. Whenever demand ceased and he'd become fairly certain that he'd worn out whatever variety of welcome someone like him could get. Fortunately, his business thrived on the unwelcome. Thrived on the angry, the bitter, the dissatisfied. Which was just fine with him. Corday was an entrepeneur. And a packrat. But that was another story. He hummed a tuneless something or other to himself as he rolled on into town. Some giving him disapproving stares, some giving him looks of frustration and confusion. Those who were familiar with him exchanged looks if they were in numbers, it seemed. He could pick out a client without a passing glance. He knew the types. There were a lot of them. Some that were good for business, some that weren't.

Whatever the case, Corday came to a nice halt when he found a spot that he desired, largely out of the way, hopefully where those self-righteous lawful types wouldn't get in his way. He began to pull out all of his inventory from where they were being carefully kept in various bags, jars, vials, boxes. He had all kinds of home-made remedies for the mundane, and general mind-expanders. Red bag: Escapism; low-level hallucinogenic drug, prologned usage of which would cause adverse affects to your sexual potency, and potentially damage your cognitive skills amd memory. Orange jar: Cloud Castle; mild hallucinogen, four hour high, extreme crash, extended use may cause relentless paranoia, mild delusions, and loss of depth perception. Purple syringe: Walrus; highly potent hallucinogen, extreme high, worse crash, prolonged usage causes psychosis. Blue vial: Grace; causes about five hours of total bliss, may cause embarassment. Gold bag: Mania; aphrodesiac, may cause trouble with the law, pregnancy. White bag: Sandman; sleeping aid, may cause lateness and/or coma. The list went on, some with more adverse side effects than others. A black box sat at the back, behind some of his other wares. That was Mercy. Corday didn't like selling Mercy, but he was saving some for himself incase he needed it one day.

He grabbed a mortar and pestle and some ingredients, and began to make some fresher inventory, as it was often more potent when new. Some of that stuff had been sitting in the back of his van for about a week. He'd open for business soon, just so long as he didn't get any trouble. If people got violent in any way, he may have to leave that very day.

The good mood that had taken hold of Theo was both exhilarating and... very, very strange. He was out in public walking down the street and felt little concern about the glares he was recieving from Normals - you could always tell which ones they were in public in passing, it was like they were trying to glare the life out of you rather than stop and get their hands bloody. Now, it was the ones who liked the bloody hands thing that you really needed to concern yourself about. Up ahead Theo saw a somewhat familiar fugly van that reminded him of the last time he managed to afford to get really REALLY drunk. He stopped and tilted his head trying to remember where he'd seen it before. Then it dawned on him and Theo gave a laugh and yanked out the most recent Penny-dreadful he'd produced and approached it.

The doors were closed and he didn't see the infamous and grubby occupant sitting in the front, so Theo assumed he was in the back concocting some gawd-awful chemical mix to sell to desperates. Not Theo's bag, but if the dude was willing to buy his work - he'd tolerate the odd smells. He walked up to the back and none too gently slammed the little booklet against the back window, followed closely by his forehead - which was gently, just F.Y.I. Theo knocked with his knuckles on the window then pointed at the booklet. With a comical waggling of the eyebrows he hinted that the door should be opened and decent comversation should ensue.

"Corday, want to buy a dreadful? I know it's you; blind men recognize this van."

Gentle explosions took place in the apothecary's little lab. His legs were crossed, the sleeves of his military green coloured shirt were rolled up. He had goggles on to protect him from some of the ingredients, which if they got anywhere within the vicinity of his eyes, would render him blind. One if his eyes, the one with the blue barcode, was a little shoddy as it was. He jumped a little when he heard the knock on the door, not expecting it, and nearly spilling a big old pink vial of Fuzz, a mild depresasnt. He blinked and put everything down, sighing. "See the sign in the back? That means we're closed." he called. That's right, a lot of people didn't read. Many people seemed offended by his display of literature. Like Corday gave a flying fuck in space.

He glanced over at the window and smirked a little when he saw the face that greeted him. Okay, so he'd be leniant with this one, he liked this one. One of the few nice people he'd met in Centre City. He moved to the door and cocked his head to the side as Theo wiggled his eyebrows and attempted to entice him to buy one of his Dreadfuls. Corday found them entertaining, he had to admit, he sort of thought that Theo could make it as a writer, that was, if people could read. Sort of a doomed trade. He opened the left door and leaned against the one that remained closed. There was a half smile, of the knowing variety, on his still dusty visage. He'd clean up when he thought it official. He was a strange sight, his goggles half off, his blonde hair soaking up the colours of the dust that lingered about him. That was okay with Corday.

"What, no, 'Hey, Corday, nice to see you back in town, how long has it been?' and other silly niceties that are tossed back and forth between passing acquaintences? All business, Theo? I'm hurt." Tch. Corday was one to talk.

"I'll greet you like that when you paint this puke-coloured pile of crap a less offensive colour." He grinned, showing it to be a joke and only slightly serious. Theo did find the colour outrageously, nigh impossibly ugly - so much so that it actually freaked him out a bit. "But I'll indulge you only a little and only this once," Theo put on a melodramatically sentimental face "Dear Corday, it has been absolute ages! How-ever have you been old chum?" and dropped the face, going abnormally deadpan.

"Now you going to buy a dreadful off me or not? Or do I have to inquire about your business and how it's been going too? Fuck, you and your damned niceties... " Again, a joke.

"Tch, offensive colour. You think I want to be stoned to death?" he leaned in close to Theo, his weird funky smell wafting out of the van and stinking up the area. "You can't win points with free expression from these automatons. Not that it makes much of a difference." Yeah, he made sure to whisper that. Personally, he found normals to be a society of drones. Like in place of a mind they had a machine, and an inbread condescending demeanor that left them to think more of themselves than what they really were. But that was another story.

"Theo, old bean!" he cried in an overtly jovial manner that was just as theatrical as Theo's. "I can't tell you how exhiliarting the open road is, it's like wherever I go, the funk of the ages goes with me!" Yeah, Corday knew that he smelled. It wasn't like it was a bad smell, just unfamiliar to most people.

He shrugged at the end of what Theo had to say. "Well, excuse me for trying to encourage politeness." he said in mock offense. "Yeah, sure, I'll buy one, but I don't have any small change on me. Might have to wait until I get a client. Although, I suppose I could pay you with one of the artefacts I've unearthed." Yeah, Corday always found neat crap.

Theo shrugged and waved the dreadful in the air, almost as if he were trying to seduce the odd-smelling drug dealer with his wares. "It's a fresh one, you'll probably get a kick out of it. All about a dude who concocts this solution, goes mad and rampages - there's adventure, pillaging, and general mayhem. Rather comical, in a way." Theo actually really could've used cash, but whatever he got off Corday would probably be hock-worthy. He would make money one way or another this day. Then he recalled some whisperings in the street that Theo needed to pass onto Corday, but business was on his mind so asked "Let's see what ya got, then." Then, waiting for whatever was going to serve as payment to emerge from the pukemobile, he spoke up.

"By the way, that Adessi guy? The doctor, you remember him? Yeah, you may want to watch it. I hear he's got it out for you. What'd you do to piss him off?"

Corday wrinkled his nose a little at the seduction that was apparently taking place. Wow. Theo really wasn't a very good salesman, now was he? Meh, whatever, if it was Theo's living, Corday could care less. He shrugged a little at the plot teaseer that was presented to him as he moved to the back of his 'shop' to look for some of his more useless artefacts. There was probably something he could drop off on the writer. He cocked his head to the side a little as he came upon his collection of pilfered books. He rummaged a little more, and became satisfied with what he found. He had another one of this already. "Sounds enticing.." he said honestly. He'd probably read it, it was nice to enjoy something without having to squint to make out the words.

He held up a book, hardcover, rather thick. "Might I suggest some more timetested literature for you to take pointers from. The complete works of William Shakespeare." he said with a smirk. "Now, I'm assuming that you're a gentleman who knows his fine works. I'm not going to pitch it to you, I'm just saying I'm probably one of your more generous benefactors." He said the last part in a nonchalant tone. He was entirely joking, Corday didn't really think much of himself.

He raised an eyebrow when Theo mentioned Adessi. He shrugged and sat down, crossing his legs. "The infections guy? I'm not surprised. Most medical professionals hate me, why should he be any different. If he has it in for me, fine, but I'll be gone within a week."

Theo took the the hardcover book from the drug dealer and flipped through it. It never ceased to amaze him the sorts of things the smelly little man infront of him managed to find. It was in good condition all things considered and he'd even heard the name before, Theo was intrigued. Yet, insulted ever so slightly. "Cheeky bastard..." he hucked the dreadful at the guy and tucked his newly procured book under his arm.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you, man. I've heard some scary shit about that guy, so if he comes knocking you leave my name the hell out of your talk. I have enough to deal with besides getting my ass kicked three ways to sunday for your sake."

Corday shot Theo a toothy grin at the bastard comment and crossed his legs where he sat at the edge of the bus. He leaned back a little. "We cheeky bastards are a noble breed of humanity, we will prevail!" he shot back, folding his arms a little. Heh. He looked like a genie in that stance. Figures;, he did make wishes come true, for a nominal feee.


He wrinkled his nose a little when Theo spoke more of Benedetto. "Aww, Theo, you do care." he teased a little, and then it began to appear that Corday was considering what Theo had said about Benedetto. He let the thought ferment in his skull for a moment or two before looking back at Theo. "Shady character I'm assuming, we're all shady characters. Possibly a guy who doesn't want to get his hands dirty, might send others. Whatever. If it seems like times are getting tougher, I'll just skip town early."

Theo held his hands up innocently, "Hey, I'm not a shady character - I'm a loveable rouge. Rosey cheeks and a charming smile. It's all about charisma, man. Not smell and the cheeky bastardisms must be kept to a minimum.." He flipped through his new book and read a line or two. It would be a source of entertainment for a while.

"How's your business been?" He decided to drop the talk about the doctor guy, that was discussion topics for a later time. A far later time, when Theo actually wanted to think about the stories about the guy. Besides, he'd done his good deed for the day. One day one deed, no more. Quota thing.

'The rogue' spoke rather convincingly. Corday shot a smirk Theo's way and leaned back a little where he sat. He ran a hand through his hair and let the smirk become a grin as the topic of the stick up the ass Italian gentleman passed. "Business is pretty damn good. I'm happy, really. I mean, I just got here, so I wouldn't really know how it's going to do here. The junkies always find me, though."

He nodded understandingly, not that he knew too much about customers finding him. It was more a system of word of hopeful mouth with Theo. Dreadfuls, fun though they were for those who could read, were not drugs and thus not entirely that addictive. Then again, if he wrote racy stuff he'd probably lead the way back to literacy. But he didn't, Theo wrote little adventure stories and such crap. "Of course business is good with you, stupid question really."

Theo yawned, his day had been long. "Look, you know drugs aren't my thing. Still, I got some serious shit tomorrow to do and I'm not gonna be able to sleep. You got anything that isn't going to turn me into some raving lunatic foaming purple at the mouth? Preferrably something that isn't going to kill me either... Basically what I'm asking for is something completely non life-threatening, not addictive... virtually not all that drug-like."

"You want a drug that isn't a drug, Theo?" asked Corday amusedly. He ran a hand through his grubby blonde hair and shook his head with a chuckle. That was so like Theo. Corday hardly knew the man and this seemed a pretty good capture of him through the drug dealer's eyes. He folded his arms. "Well, to any other drug dealer this would be a bit of a challenge. Luckily a skilled apothecary such as myself can see to that demand." He liked to act cocky at times. Not all the time, but most often when his skills were put to the test.

He moved to the back of the van and began rummaging through a cabinet once more. He pulled out a small bottle, able to fit in the palm of one's hand, which was full of a lime green liquid. This was an extract of sandman, a lighter version called Sheep. A mild sleeping aid with little to no consequence to use.

He came back and tossed the bottle to Theo. "There you go. And for the record, none of my concoctions will make you into a purple-foaming raving psychopath after just one use. People aren't addicted to the drug itself, they're addicted to the feeling they get when they take them. I'm faultless."

"Humble, thy name is Corday..." Theo muttered, catching the green bottle easily. He inspected it closely as if looking at it with scrunchy eyes would actually be able to pick up any strangeness. He knew that whatever it was would help him sleep, but still he couldn't help but question anything in medication form. Or drug form. Or drug-that-isn't-a-drug form. Whatever.

"Yeah, of course you're faultless..." Theo rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I have to be on my merry way. Business to deal, books to sell, alleys to dodge into. You know the bit." He gave a nod goodbye and went to leave.

He smirked gently and folded his arms, leaning against the wall of his van. He nodded to Theo as he said he was going to be on his way. "Well go on there, skidaddle, and try to bring literacy back to the world." he said cheerfully, running a hand through his hair again, leaving streak of purple along with it.