Intergalactic Purveyor of Magical and Rare Goods

@lilstrlrd

Flox had left before the bomb on the bridge ever went off, let alone the larger detonation at NOVA. She wanted no part of it. Having already stayed on Terra for over a year, far longer than she’d originally intended, being off planet just reminded her that was where she was meant to be. The wide open universe with all its strange occupants called to her just like it always had. There were still so many places she hadn’t visited that it was a crime against herself not to keep moving. She’d never reach them all, couldn’t possibly see everyone and learn everything, but she couldn’t just stay still. 

Tivan’s Ka Stone was still on the planet. She’d eventually return to collect it for him as promised, but it would wait. She’d done good business and was leaving with more trinkets and credits than she’d originally counted on. There was only one thing left to do before she made her real exit. 

The Kitsune touched down on the same space of beach it had been settled for most of her time there. The Benatar was still there, cloaked and out of sight. She stepped inside it and left a note in the pilot’s chair. By the time she sent him a message to check his ship, she was already well on her way to a different galaxy. She’d never really believed in goodbyes. Rarely did she ever have reason to think there wasn’t at least a chance that she’d see someone again. 

Quill,

All the parts I promised are in the Benatar’s storage. The repairs will take you longer by yourself, but everything is there. It’s on the house this time. The next time I’m around, you can just owe me a favor. I know how much you like hearing that. 

I have the Benatar’s communication systems back online, so if you ever change your mind about leaving, you can reach me. I didn’t want to stay on this rock any longer. Eventually, I’ll be in the neighborhood again. Maybe we’ll see each other.

Good luck. I hope I hear from you.

[ @multiversemerchant​ liked for a starter !! ]

The cloaking was impressive. The only visible indicator that anything was amiss were the indents in the sand, but other than that, passerby would be none the wiser. On top of it, there were two sitting out in plain view, hidden away by a simple device. There had to either be a lot of trust in the equipment or the technology was just that much advanced that they needn’t worry.

Whatever it was, Aaron was impressed by the handiwork. Still, he was able to gather enough information through his lenses to see how large the crafts really were, and how much room they took up. He couldn’t just pass them by and not let his curiosity get the better of him. One of his hands reached out to touch a part of the ship, unable to really help himself, when he heard the tell of company. Unblinking red eyes turned to the young person, expression placid as he poked out an index finger and pointed to the ship instead.

“Are these yours?”

.

Flox kept the Kitsune and the Benatar out of sight of prying eyes, but if people knew where to find her and who she was, then she did little to keep them away. She didn’t deter or respond with violence unless there was absolutely no choice, but always had the assurance that if she needed to...well, she was more than capable of pulling it off. Her charm and ability to talk her way out of or through most things tended to be sufficient most of the time. 

Now, as she saw someone poking around, she assessed him in much the same way he was assessing the ships that he’d managed to notice. He’d used the plural, after all, so he knew of both of them. 

“Excellent,” said the god before disappearing to go and claim the snack. From there, she dropped into the seats to watch him navigate. “While I can certainly appreciate ships and piloting, I could have simply… blinked us there.” Teleporting was kind of one of her things, honestly. But Flox had an aesthetic, after all. She wouldn’t want to interfere.

Watching as the ship landed, Loki made note of the city. “This is certainly less drab than Star City,” she pointed out. “But still no Asgard. Not that anywhere on Midgard could hope to conceive of something so grand.” Loki had her aesthetics, too, and having been raised in a city cloaked in gold, her standards were likely unreachable by anything Midgard could create.

“What’s your plan?” She asked. “Are we simply waltzing in? Or shall I make a more tactful approach? Or perhaps we observe for a departing party and… ehm… borrow them?” There were a number of ways to do it. This was Flox’s operation, though. She was happy to follow his lead.

“That’s too easy,” he said with a shrug. “But mostly, I’ve been on this rock for a year now, and once in awhile my baby just needs to breathe.” Fortunately, in volunteering to help Quill repair the Benatar, he had an easy reason to leave the planet for awhile. Flox was getting restless being there, but the money kept coming and he had no reason just yet to step away. Soon, probably, It had been ages since he’d been still for an entire year. 

“Humans try, Flox shrugged, as Kitsune settled quietly against the ground. “I like it better than Tarnax IV.” Her people were capable of making beautiful things, but they often opted instead for efficiency. It left things looking industrial and unremarkable. 

“Weird places. Maybe I just have a talent of finding the sketchiest of establishments in any star system.” Richard doesn’t really mind, even if they often ended with him in a fight sometimes. Most respect him but not everyone is pleased at the sight of a Nova. Often Rich tries to mind his own business but that isn’t always easy for him to do as one could imagine. “I asked if the bartender would accept Earth dollars and he said ‘only if they’re Canadian’ so I wonder who’s responsible for starting THAT habit up in that corner of the galaxy.” He can’t help the laughter if he’s being honest. It feels good to have more reasons to laugh, having a good time with an old friend is always a the best reason.

He relaxes though … oh man, it has been too long since Richard has eaten a Twinkie. Maybe he’ll need to buy a box of them next time he goes on a grocery run with Sam. “They all have excellent taste. Terran junk food is some of the best and it’s a shame I don’t have pockets in my suit to carry some snacks around in my travels. I’d have so many of those Twinkies.” He chuckles but maybe it’s for the best. They’d probably burn up when he travels through hyperspace — a shame. “I’ll keep that in mind. The stuff you can’t easily find out there is always desired. Maybe that tip will save my life someday. What else is popular out there aside from junk food?” He’s more curious than anything else.

“Hey, don’t knock a gift like that. The sketchy places are where a lot of the good stuff is.” And where she found a fair number of her customers, especially for the more questionable items she tended to acquire and then offload. Those were the kinds of places where her reputation for not asking questions went the furthest. 

-

Zach thought on it for a moment, and little more than that. “Huh, so long as it floats your boat I guess.” He cared about magic which, being such a broad subject, meant he liked to know a little bit of everything. Showing people he was interested though? Heaven forbid. Then it could become a whole thing and he went out of his way to avoid stuff like that. “Just don’t go around looking like me and cause trouble. Though if you see a guy named Jason Todd, feel free to look like him and start shit.” he grinned.

Zach wasn’t a cheat when it came to business. He trusted Flox to sell fairly and he’d buy fairly, otherwise they’d not have exchanged for very long. Sadly, he was well aware of supply and demand and wasn’t in a position to hide how much he needed that candle. It could save Eddie’s soul. He winced at the number though, “Ouch.” It was doable, he had a net worth of a bout 50mil, same as Chris Angel but not a patch on Zatanna, still it was a lot. “Doable but, care to haggle?” he asked, “I keep some of my more collectable things in a little pocket dimension, see if a few of those thrown in can’t reduce the price?” It was all fair business.

“I don’t interfere with the lives of my client’s unless they try to skip out on a bill. Wouldn’t advise that, by the way.” For the bigger jobs, Flox tended to demand at least half the payment up front at the very least. Lately, those looking to hire him had been wealthy enough to simply pay it all. That was always the best arrangement. As long as they kept up their end of the bargain, Flox always kept his. 

“That’s a low blow. I know you could go lower, but that was still low. You hurt my feelings.” Peter returned; he continued to feign his surprise and pain, though he couldn’t hide the smile that quirked at the corner of his mouth. “I think you should apologize.” Fat chance.

The Benatar was home, his home. It was his pride and joy - the Milano was the number one babe, but she now rested peacefully in starship heaven. The ‘Benny treated him right, kept him safe and warm. It kept them safe and warm - his family, the Guardians. Seeing her marred orange hull only reminded him of the loss. His face fell slightly, but quirked back up when he turned back to Flox, instead now focused on the fact that Rocket just dropped it off without saying anything.

“I think you’re an angel, you know that? Some kind of sick, twisted, sadistic angel, but, an angel nonetheless. Thank you…” The usual slick of his tone was replaced with sincerity and a wee bit of humbleness. He gave the Benatar an affectionate pat. “Been through Hell an’ back.” He paused. “I’m assumin’ you’re not gonna fix ‘er up while I sit around workin’ on my tan, huh?” There was no way he was going to let her fix his baby by herself; that would be a fucked up thing to do, especially since she offered to fix it in the first place.

.

“Oh, so much lower.” Sometimes it took all she had in her not to. Quill could not have possibly concocted a more difficult lift for her to ignore, and coupled with how little mocking she had to do to get a reaction out of him...it was a constant test of resilience to say as little as she did. Sometimes no words were needed at all; it all showed on her face. 

Flox walked over and paused beside the Benatar, close enough to reach up and put her hand against the metal. “I am none of those things. Don’t be so basic. Since when are,” she considered it for a moment to come up with alternatives, “witty, adventurous, and vivacious the same as sick, twisted, and sadistic? You’re boring,” she teased. 

“You’re callin’ me ‘easy’?” Peter asked, wholly aghast though not actually. “I’m hurt,” he finished with a hand against the center of his chest, compliments of faux offense and pain overcame his expression. He was, in all iterations, a drama king. Humor - at least, most of the humor to come out of Peter’s mouth - tended to mask darker feelings. He could make light of any situation, even his own death, (especially his own death), but the jokes and quips wouldn’t, couldn’t, erase what he truly felt. In this instance, however, he was just being an ass.

“Oh, it’s a secret, huh,” he started, but followed dutifully after her curled finger and persuasive gaze. Maybe this was just a ploy to get him alone to kill him, as some sort of sick surprise revenge plot. Hah - if only. Just as he was about to throw out another jest, the Benatar shimmered into reality and stood, proud and fucked up, in front of them. Peter’s mouth must have fallen open because he could feel his tongue dry under the beach sun. A surprised squeak escaped him before Peter trudged through the sand and planted his cheek against the closest part of his ship he could reach. “Oh, baby, I’ve missed you!” he uttered and lifted his arms to sort of embrace the vessel, before his eyes snapped open and he turned to look at Flox. 

“That fleabag just drop her off to you instead of me? What gives? Also, is this what you called me out here for, ‘cause, uh, you just made my fuckin’ life.”

.

“I am,” she said without missing a beat, “I am definitely calling you easy, and that’s exactly what you are.” Well, he had been once upon a time. Deep down, Quill was still Quill. He could hide it behind a badge if he wanted to, but she didn’t really believe it. 

As the ship showed itself, Flox folded her arms over her chest and watched him. Her smirk widened quickly into a proper grin. She could definitely understand that feeling - there wasn’t really a connection comparable to a man (or woman) and his ship. That was a bond not like any other, and how Peter had just accepted it being broken for as long as he’d been stuck on Terra, she couldn’t grasp. Even if she’d lost the Kitsune, she would have been looking for anything at all that might take its place. There was no replacing, exactly, but that was one void she couldn’t abide by.

“I thought you’d like it. He showed up casing my ship and once I figured out who he was, I offered to help repair the Benatar. It’s not like you know anybody else that can get off of this rock and find a good deal on parts. Trust me, you’re going to need a lot of those. She’s been through it.” It was a little surprising that Rocket had managed to get it to the surface in the first place. The thing was practically held together with tape.  

Loki blinked in surprise, about to ask if that was regular when Flox went on to explain that it wasn’t. That made sense. Still, a special cat. It seemed delightfully frivolous a reason to hire Flox, who she knew was not a cheap producer. Not that Loki really bothered with money here. She could usually successfully conjure it for transactions only for it to disappear about an hour after she had left. She was sure that that caused chaos, but it couldn’t be traced back to her when she didn’t look like her male form–which people recognized more often. Besides, a little chaos was his favorite arrangement. 

“I made no indication that I wouldn’t go or that I was unamused by the proposition,” she pointed out. “How long is our traverse? And have you any more of those cylindrical Midgardian pastries?” Twinkies, she was fairly certain.

“Behind that door the Twinkie bounty awaits,” Flox said, gesturing over his shoulder to one of the many compartments where he’d hoarded things away. When the Kitsune was actually off the ground, it wasn’t like he could just leave it lying around everywhere. The whole thing had been made to his specifications, and there were countless storage places throughout the thing with various levels of security. Even if someone did manage to rob him, the odds of them both finding and being able to open everything were astronomically low. If they ever did, he’d be impressed enough to barely count it as a loss. It would mean they were a better thief than he was, and wasn’t that commendable in its own way?

“Won’t take long. My girl is faster than anything to hobble off of this planet.” And they weren’t even leaving it. Mere minutes would get them to Dubai. Loki may not even have time to eat that Twinkie she’d asked for. 

Peter would never just up and leave Foggy without a trace — granted, he could and it would be easy, there was nothing really stopping him, physically, from leaving. And old Peter, the Peter who had to sleep with his blaster under his pillow and didn’t stay with anyone longer than a night, would have definitely jumped at the chance to break through the atmosphere and escape into the vast darkness of space’s unknown.

But he wasn’t old Peter anymore. He learned, grew close to people and was forcibly humbled into his home planet, a place wholly unfamiliar to him until he became grounded. He couldn’t just leave now, even though every cell in his person yearned for the stars, pulling him upwards by some invisible string. Still, he was sorely tempted when Rocket brought him the Benatar in all of her unkempt glory, but fate decided it just wasn’t time yet. She had too much that needed to be done.

He hadn’t had the time to assess the damage just yet, or even give her a look around, to reminisce, to remember. The paperwork left on his work desk seemed to take precedence. But he knew she was there, on the planet — he just hadn’t laid eyes on her yet.

Until Flox called for his attention on some matter. While he should have asked for specifics, considering too many instances with Flox wound up biting him in the ass, he decided to let her keep her secrets — she wouldn’t have given them freely, anyway, no matter how much prodding Peter did. Not without compensation of some kind. Still, even as much of a headache Flox tended to give him, he smiled when he saw her waiting, a beacon between the boardwalk and the hot sand.

“Is that what ya asked me out here for? To diss me?”

“Always. You make it so easy that nobody could be expected to resist.” She’d gone so long without seeing him before returning to Terra that she had nearly two decades of it to get out of her system. He’d always been such an easy target, not least of all because it took practically nothing to get him riled up. He’d never been able to play his cards very close to his chest, and that ego he had was as fragile as glass. More than that, though, she just liked to tease.

Still, she was excited in her own right for what she was going to do. She’d not been short of work since getting there, which was the reason she continued to stay, but repairing the Benatar would be something to do between the jobs. It would also require leaving Terra for awhile, at least long enough to get the parts it no doubt needed, and she could sorely use some time away from the surface. It was already a little insulting how much time she’d spent there. That was doubly true for Peter.

Flox crooked her finger in a motion for him to follow her. The ship wasn’t far from her own, and it was a simple enough matter of disabling the cloaking system she’d put in place. Soon enough, the outline of his ship shimmered into view, and the whole of the Benatar was visible just seconds later. “I have to believe she’s looked better.” 

-

“When I’m not going anywhere, sure.” Zach always looked his best when he stepped out of his apartment but (as Eddie could testify to) he was a bit of a slob he didn’t have anything planned and if not for magic to clean up after him would likely make a big mess of the place in a spare week. His gaze flicked up the said hair as Flox drew attention to it and he shrugged, “Is that all it takes? Nice hair?” But then was it too different from him always wanting to wear purple? You liked what you liked.

“Come in then,” he said quickly, not about to wait any longer than he needed to, Zach stepped back and beckoned the other inside, closing the door behind them. He watched with a hawk-like gaze as the other pulled out the candle and he could feel the thrum it gave off, it was legit, felt exactly the same as the candle Eddie had lit all those years ago. “That’s it.” he said after a few moments, “What do you want for it?” No games, no haggling even if he could avoid it, Zach needed that candle to save Eddie.    

“All it takes? No. But it helps, when I can make it look however I want. Life as a shapeshifter would be very disappointing if I couldn’t appreciate that, I think.” He didn’t think Zach particularly cared about the answer. He’d never struck Flox as a person who cared very much about anything or anyone outside his immediate bubble and concern. He could appreciate that quality, to a degree, but it did seem like a boring kind of way to live.